Order of Ethiopian for 67 Boeing Jets Elevates Its Status to New Chapter

Addis Ababa November 16/2023 2023 (ENA): The deal Ethiopian Airlines made with Boeing to order up to 67 airplanes is a huge investment that will elevate the company’s status to a new chapter.

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest and leading aviation group in Africa, and its longstanding partner Boeing announced on Wednesday that the carrier has agreed to order up to 67 jets. 

The agreement, signed by Ethiopia’s national carrier at the Dubai Airshow, represents the largest-ever purchase of Boeing airplanes in African history.

The Chief Commercial Officer of Ethiopian Airlines Group, Lema Yadecha, told ENA that the order is based on the airline's growth plan and Vision 2035 strategy.

Lema noted that the airline is working on a vision to increase its annual revenue to 25 billion USD by 2035 and transport 67 million passengers annually.

He mentioned that the airline plans to buy 100 more planes to make this a reality; of these, 67 were ordered from the Boeing Company. 

Among them, 11 Boeing 787-900 Dreamliners and 20 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft have been directly purchased.

He explained that the remaining 36 aircraft will be added to the airline in three years.

Moreover, Ethiopian Airlines and Boeing also agreed to work together to provide cabin modification services for the carrier’s existing 787 Dreamliners. 

The comprehensive retrofit will enhance the passenger experience with advanced in-flight entertainment and new seats in all cabins, including lie-flat business-class seats from Boeing joint venture Adient Aerospace, it was learned.

Ethiopian has also reached to an agreement to purchase additional 11 aircrafts from Airbus.

Ethiopian Airlines Group (Ethiopian) is the fastest-growing airlines brand globally and the continent’s largest airline brand. 

In its seventy-seven years of successful operations, Ethiopian, the fastest growing airline, has become one of the continent’s leading carriers, unrivaled in efficiency and operational success.

Ethiopian commands the lion’s share of the African passenger and cargo network operating the youngest and most modern fleet to more than 150 domestic and international passenger and cargo destinations across five continents.