New order confirms Ethiopian Airlines’ renewed confidence in the MAX |

They have come through a long and, most recently, troubled relationship after the fatal MAX 8 crash in March 2019. But Ethiopian Airlines and Boeing have now restored their friendship and started a new chapter, which is symbolized on the second day of the Dubai Airshow with a big order. Ethiopian has placed a firm order for 20 MAX 8s and 11 787-9s, plus options for another 21 MAX and 15 Dreamliners. Ethiopian placed a first MAX order in September 2014 for 20 aircraft, followed by one for 10 aircraft in July 2016. Following the 2019 accident of flight ET302 after take-off from Addis Ababa, in which all 157 occupants were killed, the airline considered canceling all MAX orders but kept them in the backlog. Ethiopian resumed MAX operations only in February 2022 and currently operates 13 MAX 8s. It has 17 aircraft in the backlog. The airline also has a fleet of 29 Dreamliners, including 19 of the smaller 787-8 and 10 -9s. All 787-9s and eight-8s are leased. There are no Dreamliners in the unfilled orders list. To fulfill its needs, Ethiopian will seek lease opportunities for more 787s to bridge the gap between now and the delivery of the newly-ordered Dreamliners. Part of the agreement announced today is that Boeing and Ethiopian will work together on the cabin upgrade of the airline’s 787 fleet. This includes the replacement of all the seats and the inflight entertainment system. This includes Business Class seats from Adient, the automotive company that only recently entered the aviation market in a joint venture with Boeing. The supplier of the Economy seats hasn’t been selected yet. Growth strategy The newly ordered aircraft will be delivered over the coming seven years. Ethiopian’s Group CEO Mesfin Tasew said the new order for 31 aircraft is part of the airlines' strategy of continuous growth, in line with the country’s Vision 2035. “The brand new, latest technology airplanes, will allow us to expand our network and enhance our growth of operations.” By 2035, Ethiopian wants to be one of the top 20 global leading airlines in the world. Tasew expressed his sincere thanks to Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ leadership “for enabling us to conclude this deal in a very beneficial way.” He referred to the relationship with the airframer as a “decades-long exemplary business partnership.” Boeing’s SVP of Sales Marketing, Brad McMullen, referred to the order as a “true landmark day for both of our companies.” He mentioned that Ethiopian has almost ordered all Boeing jet aircraft since the 720B in the 1950s in a relationship that spans almost 75 years. Once all 67 aircraft are confirmed, the latest order is one of the biggest Boeing has concluded in Africa. A sad memory Asked if this order demonstrates that Ethiopian and its customers now have full confidence again in the MAX, Tasew said: “The MAX we first acquired was based on features and reduced costs for the airlines. Unfortunately, we faced that accident in 2019 and it remains a very sad memory, not only for us but especially for the families of the victims. But we have checked that the design defects of the aircraft have been fully corrected by Boeing. We have renewed our confidence in this aircraft and all the passengers can have trust in the aircraft. That is why we want to enhance the number of MAX in the fleet.” McMullen added that the accidents were very tragic. “We stood by Ethiopian Airlines and we will always stand by Ethiopian Airlines. They were difficult times and that is what partners do. We continue to be great partners together. It means we are even stronger than we were before.” In June, he said at the IATA AGM in Istanbul that his airline would like to order 130 aircraft. About half of them have now been ordered. More orders are to come as Ethiopian wishes to double the fleet in size to some 200 aircraft. “This is just the first affair, we expect to do another fleet renewal process in the coming few years,” Tasew added. “We are considering ordering more aircraft from Airbus and Boeing. Regarding the A320neo, what that aircraft is experiencing with its engines today, we prefer to wait until that problem is corrected.” Ethiopian announced at the 2022 Farnborough Airshow that it had converted options for four Airbus A350-900s into A350-1000s. It also has a Memorandum of Understanding for five Boeing 777-8Fs which still need confirmation.

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