Ethiopian Airlines jas acquired its 20th Airbus A350-900 plane. The new plane is powered by Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
With the new delivery of the A350, Ethiopian Airlines will now be operating 144 modern aircraft to more than 150 domestic and international passenger and cargo destinations across five continents.
“The delivery flight used 30% blend Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) thus reducing its carbon footprint and contributing to the ambition set by IATA, ATAG and ICAO to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The airplane also carried 10 tonnes of humanitarian shipment into Ethiopia,” said Ethiopian Airlines in a statement.
Airbus A350-900, Boeing 737s, 777s, 787s, and Bombardier Dash 8-400 double cabin are among the modern and environmentally friendly aircraft Ethiopian has in its fleet.
“We are glad to receive our 20th brand new A350 aircraft from Airbus. This is another historical first for Ethiopian Airlines as it is our first flight operated with sustainable aviation fuel in cooperation with Airbus, demonstrating our commitment to realizing a sustainable air transport industry,” Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mr. Mesfin Tasew said.
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“The A350-900 has proven to be instrumental in Ethiopian Airlines fleet strategy, offering unrivaled operational flexibility and efficiency and best in class passenger comfort.”
In July 2022, Ethiopian Airlines became the first airline in Africa to purchase the A350-1000 planes. This is after converting its existing orders of A350-900 for larger A350-1000 planes.
The new purchase order will see Airbus deliver six of the larger planes to Ethiopia.
“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,” said Tasew.
The A350-1000 can carry about 369 passengers with a maximum limit of 480, while the A350-900 can only carry 300-350 passengers.
Ethiopian had ordered 22 Airbus planes as part of its expansion plan, 16 of which it had already received, making it the first in Africa to use the A350 planes.