BY CHRIS LOH
With its 20th A350, the airline has over 140 aircraft in its fleet. The carrier also operates 27 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with more on the way.
Ethiopian Airlines has taken delivery of its final Airbus A350-900, at least for the foreseeable future. The carrier accepted this new widebody on April 28th, with the aircraft touching down at its Addis Ababa hub the next day, April 29th. Now, in addition to nearly 20 Boeing jets, the carrier will wait for the four Airbus A350-1000s that it ordered last year.
Aircraft and delivery flight details
Ethiopian Airlines’ latest A350-900 departed Toulouse on Friday, April 28th at 21:39 local time. The jet operated as flight ET9201 and had a duration of six hours and 11 minutes. It then arrived in Addis Ababa at 04:50 local time on April 29th.
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Photo: FlightRadar24.com
The aircraft is registered ET-AZN with manufacturer serial number (MSN) 611. This particular Airbus A350 was first spotted on April 10th conducting an engine run and taxi check. Its first test flight then took place on April 12th, with Aviation Flights noting that a total of three test flights were conducted prior to the April 28th delivery flight. In total, the aircraft had eight hours and 27 minutes of test flight time.
The last A350-900
According to ch-aviation.com, this latest delivery is the final Ethiopian Airlines’ A350-900 expected at the carrier. However, the website notes that it is still expecting to take delivery of four Airbus A350-1000s. These stretched A350s were officially ordered in July 2022 when it converted four of its outstanding A350-900 orders into the longer variant. The swap made Ethiopian Airlines the first African carrier to place an order for the A350-1000.
It’s not just Airbus aircraft yet to be delivered. Indeed, ch-aviation.com data indicates that the airline is still expecting 17 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, as well as another two 787-9 Dreamliners. The airline’s total fleet size at the time of publication sits at 141 aircraft. However, this includes a number of Boeing 777 freighters as well.
Photo: Danielregay via Wikimedia Commons
Where does Ethiopian Airlines deploy its Airbus A350s?
Ethiopian Airlines operates both long-haul and short-haul services with its Airbus A350-900s. Indeed, the airline makes the list for shortest A350 flights due to its fifth-freedom service between Douala, Cameroon and Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. The airline operates another fairly short fifth-freedom service between Milan-Malpensa and Zurich.
On the other end of route distances, the carrier flies as far as Toronto (via Dublin), as well as Beijing and Shanghai in the east. The flight from Toronto to Addis Ababa has a duration of approximately 12 and a half hours, while services from Shanghai and Beijing can be around 11 or 12 hours in duration. Many other long-haul routes utilize the airline’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
Are you looking forward to Ethiopian Airlines eventually taking delivery of the Airbus A350-1000? Have you flown with the airline before? Share your thoughts and experiences by leaving a comment!
Sources: FlightRadar24.com, Planespotters.net, Aviation Flights, ch-aviation.com
Ethiopian Airlines Receives 20th Airbus A350 AviationSource13:02