Ethiopian Airlines orders 20 Boeing aircraft

Nairobi; Kenya: Ethiopian Airlines has ordered 20 Boeing 737 MAX 8s aircraft estimated to cost more than $2.1 billion (Sh180 billion). The  order includes options and purchase rights for a further 15 737 MAX 8s, representing the largest single Boeing order, by number of airplanes, from an African carrier.

“The order underlines our commitment to our 15-year strategic plan, ‘Vision 2025’, in which Ethiopian will strive to become the leading airline group in Africa carrying 18 million passengers per annum,” Ethiopian Airlines Chief Executive Tewolde Gebremariam, said.

He was speaking during a visit to the Association for the Promotion of Tourism to Africa National Forum in Chicago. “The 737 MAX will form a key component of that strategic vision, enhancing our single-aisle fleet and keeping us at the forefront of African aviation.”

The 737 MAX incorporates the latest technology aimed to deliver the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market.

This plane is expected to be 14 per cent more fuel-efficient than today’s most efficient next-generation 737s – and 20 per cent better than the original next-generation 737s when they first entered service. The 737 MAX has 2,294 orders from 47 customers worldwide.

“This historic order for Boeing and our partner Ethiopian once again positions the carrier at the heart of African aerospace innovation with the acquisition of the 737 MAX,” said Boeing commercial airplanes vice president Van Rex Gallard in Chicago.