Ethiopian Airlines announced yesterday that it had placed an order for 20 single-aisle aircraft Boeing 737 MAX-8 and 11 long-haul Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner during the Dubai Air Show.
In addition, the Ethiopian airline plans to exercise purchase options for 21 more single-wing aircraft. It also has purchase options for 15 more Dreamliners.
Almost almost five years after the crash of one of its 737 MAX-8s which had led to the immobilization of the world fleet, Ethiopian Airlines has renewed its “confidence in this aircraft”. “We believe we have verified and confirmed that the design flaw in this aircraft has been fully corrected by Boeing“, declared to the press the CEO of the Ethiopian airline, Mesfin Tasew, announcing this new order for 20 single-aisle 737 MAX-8s.
In March 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX crashed shortly after takeoff from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, killing all 157 passengers and crew on board. This accident followed that of a Lion Air 737 MAX in the Java Sea, Indonesia, five months earlier, which cost the lives of all 189 people on board.
Mesfin Tasew also added that his airline would place an order for wide-body aircraft, either the Boeing 777X or the Airbus A350, in the coming months, without however specifying the number of copies. The CEO said his company had been interested in purchasing the Airbus A220 to replace turboprop aircraft, but would not consider purchasing the aircraft.until the engine problem is resolved“.
Airlines operating the A220 have faced durability issues, compounded by a shortage of spare engines and maintenance bottlenecks that have collectively reduced the supply of working Pratt & Whitney engines. of march, leaving some planes grounded.
