ETHIOPIAN MOVES INTO DOUBLE DIGIT DREAMLINER DELIVERIES
(Posted 04th October 2014)
The delivery of Ethiopian’s 10th B787-8 Dreamliner, now flying under registration ET-ARF, MSN 34752, which arrived in Addis Ababa on 02nd of October, has brought the overall number of such aircraft on the ET fleet to now 10. The newest plane now carrying Ethiopia’s flag into the world, is configured with 24 business class and 246 economy class seats and powered by two GEnx-1B engines.
Ethiopian was the African launch customer for Boeing, building on a decades long close partnership, and while affected like all other launch customers by the teething problems the aircraft had in particular with the new technology Lithium Ion batteries, is now able to cash in on the experience by flying planes which save some 20 percent fuel burn compared to older jets on the fleet.
Intent to remain Africa’ number one airline in terms of fleet, destinations and passengers carried has Ethiopian rolled out a number of new international destinations of late, in Europe and Asia and only last week resumed services, albeit not with the B787 but the smaller B737-800NG, to the Seychelles.
Notable does Ethiopian of late also hold 5th freedom traffic rights out of Entebbe to Juba / South Sudan, a destination also served nonstop out of Addis Ababa.
Happy landings to the aircraft, the crews on board and the passengers for ET’s latest acquisition.
