Ethiopian Airlines receives Africa’s first A350-1000 aircraft from Airbus

Addis Ababa, November 4, 2024 (FBC) — Ethiopian Airlines, the biggest carrier in Africa, received Monday the first A350-1000 passenger plane in Africa named “Ethiopia: Land of Origins” from Airbus company in a ceremony held in Toulouse, France.

This brand new aircraft will arrive at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport on Tuesday 5th November 2024, the airline confirmed.

“We are here to celebrate this monumental occasion in the history of Ethiopian Airlines and the African aviation industry,” said Mr. Mesfin Tasew, Group CEO of the carrier, speaking at the Airbus aircraft delivery centre in Toulouse on 4 November.

Ethiopia’s government, which is the sole owner of Ethiopian Airlines, is committed to the success of the carrier as it aims to “connect Africa to the world” and “support the continent’s economic growth”, said Yilma Merdasa, chairman of the airline’s management board and chief of the country’s air force, who attended the delivery event.

Describing the carrier’s partnership with Airbus as “deep-rooted” it has “flourished” since Ethiopian took delivery of its first A350, the smaller -900 version that it operates with 343 seats, in June 2016, said Mr. Mesfin.

Ethiopian now operates 20 A350-900s and will take delivery of a further 11 of this type from 2027. The A350-1000 twinjet is powered by the Rolls-Royce XWB-97 engine, which is the sole engine option for the A350 family.

While the A350-900 has become “a core fleet” for Ethiopian with “outstanding reliability and performance” the extra 16 business class seats offered on the A350-1000, with 46 in total, is a “step change” compared to the 30 available on the smaller -900, said Mesfin.

The first A350-1000 will be operated to eight destinations across Ethiopian’s network in a promotion move until the carrier receives its second one when both will be dedicated to serving its Washington DC route. On this route, plus Heathrow and Frankfurt, the larger business class cabin is required to meet demand as the carrier’s premium product is often fully booked, he explained.

Additionally, the A350-1000 will be especially vital at slot-constrained airports like London Heathrow with 11% more capacity compared to the A350-900, said Mesfin.

It is known that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed recently disclosed to members of the parliament that the Airline has ordered to purchase 124 new aircrafts.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister also revealed that the airline is also set to build the biggest airport in Africa which could accommodate up to 130 million passengers a year.

This makes Ethiopian Airlines not only the largest fleet owner in Africa, but also a facility with a huge airport.

In that regard, the airline took delivery of the A350-1000 passenger aircraft today.