Ethiopian Airlines (EA) has upgraded four of its A350-900 orders to the largest model of the A350 Family, becoming the continent’s first airline to do so, according to a press release from the flag carrier.
16 of the 22 A350-900s that the carrier has already ordered have already been delivered.
“With the A350-1000 upsizing, Ethiopian Airlines’ backlog consists of four A350-1000s and two A350-900s,” the statement continued.
Mesfin Tasew, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, responded to the news, emphasizing that the airline will be able to “keep ahead of the curve in technology” by “upsizing” to the A350-1000.
“We are the technology leaders in the continent introducing the latest technology and fuel-efficient fleet into Africa,” Tasew added.
“The A350-1000 is the best fit for our dense routes, and we believe that the upsizing will be instrumental in satisfying the increasing demand of customers in our vast global network across five continents.”
In addition, EA is the first airline in Africa to order and use the A350-900, according to Mikail Houari, President of Airbus Africa and the Middle East.
According to Houari, “Ethiopian Airlines is once again setting the standard in the African aviation industry by launching the A350-1000, the largest version of the most modern passenger aircraft in the world in terms of efficiency and technology.
The first A350-1000 was put together in 2016, and on November 24 of the same year, it made its first flight. The variant’s launch operator, Qatar Airways, took delivery of the plane on February 20, 2018.
64 A350-1000s are already in use, while 164 A350-1000s have been purchased by airlines, according to the most recent orders and delivery statistics from Airbus.
Currently, the Airbus A350, Boeing 787-8, Boeing 787-9, Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 777-200LR, Boeing 777-200 Freighter, and Bombardier Dash 8-400 make up Ethiopian Airlines’ fleet, which is the largest in Africa.