African Sensation: The Ethiopian Airways Fleet In 2022

• Ethiopian Airways

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  ET/ETH

  Airline Sort:

  Full Service Provider

  Hub(s):

  Addis Ababa Bole Worldwide Airport

  12 months Based:

  1945

  Alliance:

  Star Alliance

  CEO:

  Mesfin Tasew Bekele

  Nation:

  Ethiopia

With nicely over 100 plane each narrowbody and widebody, Ethiopian Airways is Africa’s largest airline by fleet dimension. The provider has an especially various fleet of plane which it makes use of to attach passengers from North America and Europe to Africa, and vice versa. The fleet has grown barely up to now yr, so let’s have a look at its present state on this article.

The Ethiopian fleet at a look

First, let’s have a look at the plane varieties and portions inside the airline’s assortment of plane. The next listing summarizes the provider’s fleet composition on the time of this text’s publication, in response to Planespotters.internet. Portions of every plane kind are proven in parentheses.

• Airbus A350-900 (18)
• Boeing 737-700 (6)
• Boeing 737-800 (19)
• Boeing 737-800F (4)
• Boeing 737 MAX 8 (7)
• Boeing 767-300ER (3)
• Boeing 777-200LR (6)
• Boeing 777-300ER (4)
• Boeing 777-200F (9)
• Boeing 787-8 (19)
• Boeing 787-9 (8)
• De Havilland Canada DHC-8-400 (33)

Inflated numbers?

As we had additionally famous within the 2021 version of this text, numbers are barely inflated relying on the way you outline which plane are literally within the provider’s fleet. That’s as a result of, whereas all plane could be legally below the care of Ethiopian Airways, a few of these plane are out working for different airways. Certainly, Ethiopian Airways has leased a few of these plane out to carriers like Zambia Airways, Malawian Airways, and Asky Airways. Plane varieties that embrace some leased-out plane embrace the Boeing 737-700, 737-800, and DHC-8-400.

One airline which makes use of plane from Ethiopian gained’t be round for much longer. Certainly, Chad’s Tchadia Airways has been positioned into liquidation, following three consecutive years of economic losses. Regardless of going through no direct competitors on the vast majority of its routes, and even with the backing and management of heavyweight Ethiopian Airways, the provider hasn’t been capable of overcome the monetary impacts of the pandemic.

There’s additionally a particular settlement involving Ethiopian Airways, pertaining to at least one Boeing 767-300ER. Whereas this jet is operated by Ethiopian Airways, it isn’t flying common industrial passengers. Moderately, this one widebody operates for the United Nations – or the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service to be exact. The jet comes full with its personal plain and strong white UN livery and is configured with 24 enterprise class seats and 211 seats within the economic system class cabin.

One other fascinating association value mentioning has to do with Czech Republic leisure airline Smartwings, which not too long ago leased an Ethiopian Airways A350 for a short while this summer time. Used for one route for a lower than a month, Ethiopian Airways flew for Smartwings between June nineteenth and July tenth on the 818 miles (1,317km) between Prague and Burgas, a well-liked Bulgarian resort vacation spot alongside the Black Sea. This short-lived association was made doable by the truth that Ethiopian Airways usually have plane sitting on the bottom all day at airports throughout Europe because of the strategic timing of providers. This created a possibility to utilize the downtime, which is organized by way of ACC Aviation. In 2019, ACC Aviation’s CEO, Phil Mathews, mentioned:

Ethiopian Airways’ fashionable fleet consists of Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A350s, which aren’t typically accessible. This partnership provides ACC’s shoppers entry to a few of the most up to date widebody capability within the ad-hoc constitution and moist leasing market.

The MAX is again

Final yr we famous that Ethiopian had 4 Boeing 737 MAX 8s in its fleet however that the provider wasn’t truly working them. Issues have modified since, because the airline is once more utilizing the kind for passenger service, now having seven of the variant. One was delivered in June 2022 whereas one other two got here in July. Nevertheless, there are fairly a number of extra on the way in which.

The truth is, Ethiopian Airways resumed 737 MAX passenger service with its first flight again going down on February 1st, 2022. This was the airline’s first for the reason that tragic crash in March 2019 which prompted a worldwide grounding of the MAX. Given the tragic historical past of this sort because it pertains to Ethiopian Airways, it was at all times understood that the airline could be one of many final carriers to renew industrial passenger service of the 737 MAX.

Conscious of the general public and media scrutiny of such a transfer, Ethiopian’s then CEO Tewolde GebreMariam acknowledged in December 2021,

“In keeping with our initially acknowledged dedication to change into among the many final airways to return the 737-Max, we’ve got taken sufficient time to watch the design modification work and the greater than 20 months of rigorous recertification course of and we’ve got ensured that our pilots, engineers, plane technicians and cabin crew are assured on the protection of the fleet.”

ch-aviation.com knowledge signifies that the airline has one other 23 of those jets but to be delivered. In the meantime, Planespotters.internet knowledge signifies that 5 of those undelivered jets have already got registration numbers assigned, thus indicating that extra deliveries will happen within the very close to future.

Previous and new widebodies

Trying on the airline’s fleet and portions, it’s clear that the provider’s passenger widebody fleet divides into new and extra environment friendly widebodies and older era widebodies. On the older aspect are the airline’s Boeing 767-300ERs in addition to its 777-200LRs. These sub fleets have a median age of 18 years and 11 years, respectively.

On the trendy aspect, we’ve got the next-generation Airbus A350 and Boeing 787. The common age of those fleets is roughly 4 years and 6 and a half years, respectively. Considerably within the center are the airline’s 4 Boeing 777-300ERs, that are a median of eight years of age.

ch-aviation.com knowledge signifies that Ethiopian continues to be taking supply of extra widebodies, with two extra A350-900s and two extra 787-9s on the way in which. Judging by latest information, the airline was imagined to be taking extra A350-900s however had made the choice to ‘upsize’ a few of these undelivered plane to the bigger A350-1000. This choice was confirmed in July 2022 and makes Ethiopian Airways Africa’s first airline buyer of Airbus’ flagship A350-1000 plane.

Ethiopian Airways Group present CEO, Mesfin Tasew, marked the deal, saying,

“We’re delighted over the upsizing of the A350-900 on order to the biggest variant, A350-1000, that helps us keep forward of the curve in know-how…The A350-1000 is the very best match for our dense routes, and we consider that the upsizing can be instrumental in satisfying the growing demand of consumers in our huge world community throughout 5 continents.”

Is the 777X an choice?

Given the provider’s extremely various fleet, might the airline additionally contemplate the Boeing 777-9 sooner or later? Again in 2016, Ethiopian Airways’ CEO on the time, Tewolde GebreMariam informed Reuters that the airline had an eye fixed on one thing greater for its fleet, saying to the publication:

“We’re evaluating the A350-1000 and likewise the 777X. Relying on which performs nicely out of Addis Ababa at altitude and excessive temperature, we’re going to make that call.”

In fact, if we fast-forward six years to right this moment, we all know that the provider can be taking supply of a handful of A350-1000s. On one hand, this might point out a closed door to the 777X. Nevertheless, with the aviation business persevering with to get better and develop, maybe it’s doable for Ethiopian to contemplate the Boeing widebody later within the decade – particularly since it’s nonetheless working numerous 777 variants. One other risk is for the provider to go for the Boeing 777X freighter to additional enhance its cargo capability – one thing many airways have determined to do for the reason that pandemic.

Sprint 8 transformed freighters

Whereas large jets usually take the highlight, one other thrilling improvement for the airline in 2022 was the announcement that Ethiopian Airways Group had signed a proposal with De Havilland Canada for as many as 4 Sprint 8 freighter conversion kits. Happening on the third day of the 2022 Farnborough Worldwide Airshow, the proposed deal consists of agency orders for 2 of De Havilland’s Sprint 8-400 Freighter – Giant Cargo Door (F-LCD) conversion kits, with extra choices for 2 extra kits.

It’s all tentative in the mean time and can take a while to materialize. That’s as a result of the conversion kits are nonetheless below improvement. If all goes in response to plan, the certification course of is anticipated to take round 24 months with the primary transformed Sprint 8s getting into industrial service no sooner than the second half of 2024.

Because the title suggests, the F-LCD provides a big cargo door to the ahead fuselage for simpler loading and unloading. Measuring 109 toes X 69 toes (2.8m X 1.8m), the door conversion will be certain that plane are capable of accommodate containerized cargo utilizing the onboard cargo loading system. Publish-conversion, the Sprint 8s will be capable to deal with container varieties resembling LD1, LD2, LD3, and LD4.

Continued progress and dominance in Africa

It’s thrilling to see Ethiopian Airways proceed to develop and evolve, now transitioning from older era plane to fashionable and extra environment friendly jets. The airline seems to have regained confidence within the MAX because it continues to observe by way of with its 30-aircraft order of the kind.

So what do you suppose could possibly be the subsequent large strikes for Ethiopian? Will it’s a 777X freighter order? Or one thing else? Tell us what you suppose by leaving a remark!

Sources: Planespotters.internet