Ethiopian Airlines has placed an order at the 2025 Dubai Air Show for six additional Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The agreement was signed by Mesfin Tasew, Group CEO, and Benoit de Saint-Enupéry, Airbus EVP Sales for Commercial Aircraft. The carrier currently has a fleet of 20 A350-900 and 4 A350-1000 aircraft, with firm orders for another 20, including the six additional orders today.
Ethiopian Strategy
“We are delighted to expand our Airbus fleet size with this order and strengthen our partnership with the Airbus company. As the continent’s leading airline and the largest operator of the A350, this milestone order further supports our vision to grow sustainably while providing a world-class travel experience to our passengers and strengthening our position as the aviation leader in Africa.” said Mr. Mesfin Tasew.
Airbus Gaining
Ethiopian has traditionally been a Boeing customer, with 45 Boeing narrow-bodies with 41 on order, and 41 Boeing wide-bodies in its fleet, with 18 on order. This transaction brings its Airbus wide-bodies to 24, with 20 on order. Ethiopian remains the largest airline in Africa and has a strong reputation for quality and maintenance operations.
“We are proud to further deepen our partnership with Ethiopian Airlines, a long-standing Airbus customer and a benchmark for aviation excellence in Africa. The A350’s state-of-the-art technology, efficiency and versatility will bring even greater value to Ethiopian’s operations,” said Benoit de Saint-Exupéry.
The Bottom Line
A re-order from Ethiopian is a validation of the success it is having with the A350-900 in its fleet. This is another significant victory for the A350 with a traditional Boeing customer, and illustrates the strength of the A350 program while Boeing has struggled with both the 787 quality and 777X development.
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