The CEO of Ethiopian Airlines has told Aviation Daily that the carrier is in the final stages of choosing whether to order Airbus A350-1000 or Boeing 777X for its long-haul fleet.
“We are working with Airbus, which has made a lot of modifications. It looks like the A350-1000 is good for the high attitude of 2,200 m above sea-level at our hub Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, so we are okay [with the aircraft performance],” Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said in an exclusive interview in Vienna. At this point the A350-1000 was an attractive proposition for the Star Alliance member, he added.
“As you know, the 777X is delayed. However, we are talking with Boeing also. Before the end of the year, we plan to have made a decision. We plan to order 10 [A350-1000 or 777X] at least,” GebreMariam said.
Ethiopian Airlines already operates various Boeing 777 variants and the A350-900. “We have still have 10 A350-900s on order,” the CEO added. “Don’t forget that we took also delivery of new aircraft in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic.”
He said the carrier’s position regarding a comeback of the Boeing 737 MAX has not changed: Ethiopian will be the last airline worldwide to operate the aircraft again.
“The 737 MAX has been re-certified in December 2020. The aircraft is in good shape with all the modifications. Our pilots and engineers are saying that we are satisfied. We are preparing to operate the 737 MAX again, from January 2022 maybe.”
A 737 MAX 8, operating as Ethiopian Airlines ET302, crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on March 10, 2019, killing all 157 people on board. Similarities between the Ethiopian accident and the fatal Lion Air 737 MAX crash in October 2018 set in motion the global grounding of the MAX fleet.
“We have four 737 MAX… We have settled our compensation and our issues with Boeing,” he added. “We want to stick with the MAX, because fleet diversity is a big problem in the airline business, especially regarding the cost pressure.”
Ethiopian has 30 737-8 on order. However, the larger 737-9 variant will be not considered. “Because the -9 doesn’t perform well [at] the high altitude of our hub,” he said.
Ethiopian Airlines is a long-term Boeing customer, dating back to when the flag-carrier ordered its first two Boeing 720 jets in 1960.
In more recent times, GebreMariam noted that his airline had taken advantage of the booming cargo business and converted temporary 25 of its passenger aircraft into freighters. “And these so-called ‘preighters’ will remain,” he added.
In August, Israel Aerospace Industries [IAI] signed an agreement with Ethiopian Airlines to create a new Boeing 767 passenger-to-cargo conversion center in Addis Ababa. Three Ethiopian Airlines 767-300 were earmarked to launch the new venture.
“But we also look [to] get… additional 767s. But the freighter aircraft market is crazy [right now],” he said.
Ethiopian Airlines Cargo, which operates a fleet of 10 777Fs, three 737F and soon the three 767Fs, also wants to add more 777Fs. “But we cannot get them,” GebreMariam said. “Opportunities for air cargo remain big. A fleet of 30 to 40 freighters could be ideal for Ethiopian in the future.”
By Kurt Hofmann
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