Ethiopian Airlines Orders Africa’s First A350-100

Ethiopian Airlines 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.

According to a press release of the airline, Ethiopian 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.

In connection with this, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew said “the largest variant, A350-1000, helps us to 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.”

Airbus Africa and Middle East President, Mikail Houari said, “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.” .

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, he added.

The press release further stated that Airbus A350’s latest technologies would translate into unrivaled levels of operational efficiency and sustainability for Ethiopian Airlines with a 25 percent reduction in fuel-burn and CO2 emissions compared to previous generation twin-aisle aircraft.

Source: Ethiopia News Agency