Ethiopian Airlines acquires Africa’s first A350-1000 aircraft

Africa’s largest airline group, Ethiopia Airlines, has acquired the first A350-1000 aircraft on the continent.

The Ethiopian Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer, Mesfin Tasew, confirmed the development in a statement on Friday in Addis Ababa.

He said: “We are delighted over the upsizing of the A350-900 on order to the largest variant, A350-1000, that helps us stay ahead of the curve in technology.

“Ethiopian Airlines has already ordered 22 A350-900s, of which 16 aircraft have been delivered and with the A350-1000 upsizing, Ethiopian Airlines’ backlog consists of four A350-1000s and two A350-900s.

“We are the technology leaders in the continent introducing the latest technology and fuel-efficient fleet into Africa.

“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.

READ ALSO: Boeing suspends entire aircraft fleet after fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash

“We will continue to keep ourselves abreast of aviation technology advancements to enhance our service and fulfil customers’ demand.

”We are proud of our strong partnership with Ethiopian Airlines – the first airline in Africa to order and operate the A350-900.”

The President of Airbus Africa and Middle East, Mikail Houari, who also spoke on the feat, described it as another first for Ethiopian Airlines which is “leading the way in Africa’s aviation sector by introducing the A350-1000.”

“The A350-900 has delivered extraordinary capability, fuel efficiency, and operational reliability of 99.5 percent together with unbeatable operational flexibility and efficiency, from short to ultra-long-range operations,” Houari said.

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