Ethiopian Airlines Group, the flag carrier of Ethiopia, Africa’s largest airline group, has upgraded four of its A350-900s on order to the largest A350 Family variant, the A350-1000, thus becoming the first African customer for the aircraft.
Ethiopian Airlines has already ordered 22 A350-900s, of which 16 aircraft have been delivered. With the ramp-up of the A350-1000, Ethiopian Airlines’ order book consists of four A350-1000s and two A350-900s.
Mesfin Tasew, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, said: “We are delighted with the ramp-up of the A350-900 on order to the larger variant, the A350-1000, which helps us maintain a advance in technology. We are the technological leaders of the continent by bringing the latest technologies and a fuel efficient fleet to Africa. The A350-1000 is best suited to our dense routes, and we believe the increased workforce will help meet growing customer demand from our extensive global network across five continents. We will continue to keep abreast of advancements in aviation technology to improve our service and meet customer demand.
“We are proud of our strong partnership with Ethiopian Airlines, the first airline in Africa to order and operate the A350-900. In another first, Ethiopian Airlines is once again leading the way in Africa’s aviation industry by introducing the A350-1000, the largest version of the world’s most efficient and technologically advanced passenger aircraft.” , said Mikail Houari, President of Airbus Africa and Middle East. “The A350-900 delivered extraordinary capabilities, 99.5% fuel efficiency and operational reliability, as well as unbeatable operational flexibility and efficiency, short and very long range operations.”
The A350-1000 will increase the East African carrier’s capacity and complement its modern wide-body fleet. The airline will benefit from a flexible, high-value family leveraging Airbus’ unprecedented level of commonality and same type rating.
The sleek design of the Airbus A350 features advanced aerodynamics, carbon fiber fuselage and wings, and the most fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. Together, these latest technologies translate into unparalleled levels of operational efficiency and sustainability for Ethiopian Airlines, with a 25% reduction in fuel burn and CO2 emissions compared to previous generation twin-aisle aircraft.
