ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian Airlines Group is set to expand its widebody fleet with the acquisition of upto twenty 777X passenger airplanes from Boeing.
The national flag carrier signed an agreement with the US planemaker on Tuesday to purchase eight 777-9 airplanes and the potential for up to 12 more jets.
The deal – which makes Ethiopian the first customer of the plane type – builds on its landmark 2023 order for 11 787 Dreamliner and 20 737 MAX jets to grow its fleet.
“We are pleased to continue setting the trend in African aviation by adopting cutting-edge technologies to enhance our services and customer satisfaction,” said Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew.
He also added: “Improving our operational performance and commitment to environmental sustainability, the 777-9 offers more flexibility, reduced fuel consumption and carbon emissions.”
“We eagerly anticipate flying the 777-9 across the African skies and beyond.”
Based on the 777 and with technologies from the 787 Dreamliner family, the 777-9 features new carbon-fiber composite wings and engines that will enable the airplane to achieve 10% better fuel efficiency and operating costs than the competition, per Boeing.
Currently, Boeing airplanes make up more than half of Ethiopian Airlines’ current fleet, including 29 787 Dreamliners, 20 777s, three 767s, 27 Next-Generation 737s and 15 737 MAX jets.
“Ethiopian Airlines marks yet another first in our longstanding partnership by selecting the 777-9 to be the flagship of its growing fleet,” said Boeing senior vice president Brad McMullen.
“Building on a relationship that goes back 75 years, we deeply value the unwavering trust and confidence Ethiopian Airlines puts in our airplanes,” McMullen added.
The 777-9 will support Ethiopian’s plans to grow and renew its fleet in size, range and passenger and cargo capacity to reach high-demand markets in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.
This plane type, with a range of 13,510 km (or 7,295 nautical miles), enables flights from Addis Ababa to as far as Seattle in the U.S., according to Boeing.
Ethiopian Airlines currently serves more than 150 passenger and cargo international destinations across five continents.
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