Ethiopian becomes first African airline to purchase Airbus A350-1000
By Hans Ngala
Ethiopian Airlines has become the first African airline to purchase the Airbus A350-1000, one of the largest commercial aircrafts in the world.
According to Airbus which is built as a joint collaboration between several European countries, Ethiopian Airlines ordered four A350-1000s alongside 22 A350-900s, with 16 of those already delivered to the East African carrier.
In a statement issued by Airbus, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO, Mesfin Tasew said: “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 keeping ourselves abreast of aviation technology advancements to enhance our services and fulfil customers’ demand”.
The A350-1000 is an upgrade of the A350-900 and can sit over 400 passengers, making this a welcome addition for Ethiopian Airlines which is seeking to increase the number of locations it flies to in the Middle East.
Based at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Airlines has a fleet of 115 passenger planes with most of them not up to 5 years of age. According to the Star Alliance group which the airline is also a member of, Ethiopian Airlines also has 57 more aircrafts on order.
The A350-1000 emits less carbon dioxide at a time when global warming and climate change are huge concerns. It is therefore understandable that the carrier would want to purchase this efficient aircraft for its customers.
From its hub in Addis Ababa, it flies to 116 global destinations (including Cameroon with flights from Douala and Yaounde). It also flies to 23 domestic destinations; making it Africa’s largest airline in terms of destinations covered and fleet size. The airline employs some 12,000 staff as of 2022.
