Wow: Ethiopian Airlines Orders Boeing 777X

This order seemingly came out of nowhere…

Ethiopian Airlines orders up to 20 Boeing 777-9s

Ethiopian Airlines has just placed an order for up to 20 Boeing 777-9 aircraft, including eight firm orders plus 12 options. For those not familiar with the 777-9, this is part of Boeing’s 777X family, which is the carrier’s updated version of the 777.

The Boeing 777-9 will be larger, more fuel efficient, and longer range, than existing variants of the 777. The catch is that the jet hasn’t yet been certified — it was initially supposed to start flying as of 2020, but entry into service has now been delayed into 2025. That’s very much a best case scenario timeline at the moment, given the increased scrutiny that Boeing is getting from regulators.

It’s not surprising that there’s no mention of a timeline for these aircraft being delivered. I imagine Ethiopian Airlines not only got a great deal on these aircraft, but got some pretty flexible terms, given that the airline is essentially ordering something that provides little certainty. At this point, Boeing can’t even pretend to know when these planes will be approved to fly.

Ethiopian Airlines is the first African airline to order the Boeing 777X. On top of that, this is the first “fresh” 777X order that we’ve seen in many years. Emirates recently topped up its 777X order, and the airline now has 205 of these aircraft on order. Emirates eventually intends to use the 777X to replace the Airbus A380, once those jets are retired.

Ethiopian Airlines’ varied fleet renewal strategy

Ethiopian Airlines has historically had a pretty inconsistent fleet, in terms of both aircraft variants and aircraft interiors. That’s largely because the airline has grown so quickly, so a large part of that growth strategy involved acquiring secondhand aircraft from other airlines.

The airline has made a lot of progress in modernizing its fleet, but still doesn’t have much in the way of fleet consistency. The airline currently flies the Airbus A350-900 and Boeing 787-8, 787-9, 777-200LR, and 777-300ER.

The airline also recently placed a major aircraft order, picking up more Boeing 787-9s, as well as Airbus A350-900s and A350-1000s.

I understand that Ethiopian Airlines probably intends to use the 777-9s to eventually replace the 777-200LRs and 777-300ERs. However, you’d think the airline could have taken the opportunity to simplify its fleet, and focus either on the A350-1000 or 777-9.

In the long run, Ethiopian will probably have five modern wide body jets — the A350-900, A350-1000, 787-8, 787-9, and 777-9. That’s a lot of variety!

Bottom line

Ethiopian Airlines has placed an order for up to 20 Boeing 777-9s, including eight firm orders and 12 options. This is a major development, as Ethiopian is the first new 777X customer that we’ve seen in many years. It’s anyone’s guess if/when these planes actually get delivered, given Boeing’s issues with getting this plane certified.

It’s cool to see the pace at which Ethiopian is refreshing its fleet, though I’m a bit puzzled by the carrier’s lack of desire for fleet commonality.

What do you make of Ethiopian Airlines’ Boeing 777X order?