(Posted 28th July 2022)
Ethiopian Airlines Group, the flag carrier of Ethiopia, Africa’s largest airline group,
has upsized four of its A350-900 on order to the largest variant of the A350 Family,
the A350-1000, becoming Africa’s first customer for the aircraft.
Ethiopian Airlines has already ordered 22 A350-900s, of which 16 aircraft have been
delivered. With the A350-1000 upsizing, Ethiopian Airlines’ backlog consists of four
A350-1000s and two A350-900s.
Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mr. Mesfin Tasew said, “We are delighted over the
upsizing of the A350-900 on order to the largest variant, A350-1000, that helps us stay ahead
of the curve in technology. We are the technology leaders in the continent introducing the
latest technology and fuel-efficient fleet into Africa. The A350-1000 is the best fit for our dense
routes, and we believe that the upsizing will be instrumental in satisfying the increasing
demand of customers in our vast global network across five continents. We will continue on
keeping ourselves abreast of aviation technology advancements to enhance our service and
fulfil customers’ demand.”
”We are proud of our strong partnership with Ethiopian Airlines – the first airline in Africa
to order and operate the A350-900. In another first, Ethiopian Airlines is once again leading
the way in Africa’s aviation sector by introducing the A350-1000, the largest version of the
world’s most efficient and technologically advanced passenger aircraft.” said Mikail Houari,
President, Airbus Africa and Middle East. “The A350-900 has delivered extraordinary
capability, fuel efficiency, and operational reliability of 99.5 percent together with unbeatable
operational flexibility and efficiency, from short to ultra-long-range operations.”
The A350-1000 will increase the East African carrier’s capacity and it will be an addition to its modern wide-body fleet. The airline will benefit from a flexible, high- value Family leveraging Airbus’ unprecedented level of commonality and same type rating.
The Airbus A350’s clean-sheet design features state-of-the-art aerodynamics, a carbon-fibre fuselage and wings, plus the most fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. Together, these latest technologies translate into unrivalled levels of operational efficiency and sustainability for Ethiopian Airlines, with a 25% reduction in fuel-burn and CO2 emissions compared to previous generation twin-aisle aircraft.
