Ethiopian Airlines Group, the fastest growing airline on the African continent, has signed agreements to purchase a total of 84 aircraft at the Dubai Air Show. It strengthens the leadership exercised Ethiopian Airlines in Africawhich, in just a few years, has taken the place held for decades by South African Airways. Ethiopian has benefited greatly from the economic and strategic demise of South Africa's national airline.
Ethiopian has placed an order with Boeing of 11 787 Dreamliner and 20 737 MAX aircraft, with the possibility of 15 and 21 additional jets. This brings the total number of aircraft available from the American manufacturer to 67. The airline has also committed to purchasing 11 Airbus A350-900s, with six additional options.. The total value of this gigantic order for 84 aircraft is 23 billion US dollars.
According to Mesfin Tasew, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines GroupThe airline is pleased to have reached an agreement with Boeing and Airbus for the purchase of these 84 additional aircraft. " The Boeing 787-9, 737-8 and Airbus A350-900 aircraft models have been part of the Ethiopian Airlines fleet for several years now. IThey have demonstrated the highest levels of passenger comfort, operational reliability and reduced operating costs.. This order is part of our long-term fleet renewal and expansion plan. These state-of-the-art aircraft will ensure a superior on-board experience for our passengers, while being environmentally friendly with a reduced carbon footprint." .
Ethiopian Airlines currently operates more than 140 aircraft to 133 destinations in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas.The new aircraft are part of Ethiopian's strategic expansion plan up to 2035.
Especially as the company continues to expand its network. Ethiopian inaugurated a new line on Bangui in the Central African Republic (3 flights a week), on 21 November on London Gatwick (3 flights a week) and on 9 December on Madrid (4 flights per week). London Gatwick may be new, but Ethiopian is returning to Bangui and Madrid, which were suspended in the wake of the Covid crisis.
A new airport for 100 million passengers
Ethiopian's expansion will continue in the future, but the airline will need to be able to rely on a larger air hub. As a result, plans are being drawn up for the construction of a new airport in Addis Ababathe Ethiopian capital. The future platform will quadruple airport capacity from 25 to 100 million passengers a year.
The new airport will be located at a lower altitude than Ethiopian Airlines' current hub, one of the highest in the world (2,300 m above sea level), which poses operational problems for the Ethiopian Airlines fleet. Speaking at the Aviation Club of the UK on 5 December, Mesfin Tasew said that the new airport would facilitate Ethiopian's growth strategy. The site chosen for the future infrastructure would be located 38 km from the capital.
For the current financial year, which ends in June 2024, Ethiopian forecasts traffic of 18 million passengers compared with 13.9 million last year. But, according to Ethiopian's CEO, the ceiling of 25 million passengers is fast approaching. The investment would represent between 5 and 6 billion. The terminal would have an initial capacity of 50 million passengers aith the possibility of building four runways in the final phase. The future hub could be inaugurated by 2028.
