Dubai Airshow 2023: Boeing Bags Big Ethiopian Airlines Order
American brand Boeing has been super busy at the Dubai Airshow 2023. After confirming aircraft deals with multiple airlines, including Emirates, EgyptAir, flydubai and SunExpress, the company has bagged another. It’s from Ethiopian Airlines, for up to sixty-seven jets. The agreement says Ethiopia’s flag carrier has placed a firm order for eleven 787 Dreamliners and twenty 737 MAXs, with an opportunity for fifteen and twenty-one additional jets, respectively. The order claims the title of the largest-ever purchase of Boeing aeroplanes in African history.
Ethiopian Airlines currently operates over eighty Boeing aircraft. The new order for 737 MAX increases the airline’s backlog for the said jet type to fifty. On the other hand, the carrier already operates Africa’s largest Dreamliner fleet, consisting of 787-8s and 787-9s. The two firms have also agreed to work on cabin modification services for the airline’s existing 787 Dreamliners. Once the retrofitting process is complete, the aircraft will feature improved in-flight entertainment and new seats in all cabins, including lie-flat business-class seats from Boeing’s JV Adient Aerospace.
