History was made during the week as Boeing and Africa’s giant airline, Ethiopian Airlines, announced an order for 20 737 MAX 8s worth more than $2.1bn at list prices.
The order also includes options and purchase rights for a further 15 737 MAX 8s.
The order represents the largest single Boeing order by number of airplanes from an African carrier.
“Today’s order underlines our commitment to our 15-year strategic plan, ‘Vision 2025,’ in which Ethiopian will strive to become the leading airline group in Africa, carrying 18 million passengers per annum,” Tewolde Gebremariam, chief executive officer of Ethiopian Airlines, said during a visit to the Association for the Promotion of Tourism to AfricaNational Forum in Chicago.
According to him, “the 737 MAX will form a key component of that strategic vision, enhancing our single-aisle fleet and keeping us at the forefront of African aviation.”
The 737 MAX incorporates the latest-technology CFM International LEAP-1B engines, advanced technology winglets and other improvements to deliver the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market.
The 737 MAX will be 14 percent more fuel-efficient than today’s most efficient Next-Generation 737s – and 20 percent better than the original Next-Generation 737s when they first entered service. The 737 MAX has a total of 2,294 orders from 47 customers worldwide.
This is a historic order for Boeing and our partner Ethiopian, once again positioning the carrier at the heart of African aerospace innovation with the acquisition of the 737 MAX.
“Throughout the years, Ethiopian has consistently led the way in introducing new airplane types to passengers across Africa and today’s record order signals its commitment to continue that tradition,” Van Rex Gallard, vice president of sales for Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said.
Ethiopian currently serves more than 83 destinations across five continents from its base at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa.
The Ethiopian-flag carrier’s partnership with Boeing has existed for more than half a century, with a current fleet of more than 50 Boeing airplanes that includes Next-Generation 737s, 757s, 767s, 777s, 787 Dreamliners and a cargo fleet that includes 757 and 777 Freighters and MD-11s.
In another development, the airline said it has entered into a codeshare agreement with United Airlines.
The new codeshare agreement between the two Star Alliance member airlines covers the Addis Ababa–Washington, D.C. trunk route, as well as points in Africa and the U.S.
With this codeshare agreement, travellers between the U.S. and Africa will be able to enjoy seamless connectivity options on United’s strong network in the U.S. and Ethiopian’s unparalleled coverage of East, Central, Southern and Western African destinations.
Ethiopian, the biggest airline in Africa, currently flies to 82 international destinations across five continents operating a young and modern fleet, such as Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft. The carrier provides daily services to Washington Dulles Airport (IAD) using the B777 or B787 aircraft with convenient and easy connections through its main hub in Addis Ababa (ADD) to 49 cities across Africa.
Sade Williams
