Ethiopian Airlines Targets August for 787 Dreamliner Deliveries

Ethiopian Airlines has announced that it could take delivery of its first 787 Dreamliner aircraft in August.  Ethiopian Airlines will be first African carrier to operate the 787 later this year.

Ethiopian Airlines was the first African airline to order the 787 Dreamliner when it placed the order for ten 787s in February 2005.

The aircraft could be used to connect Johannesburg and Dubai, as previously announced. The 787 Dreamliner claims to use 20 percent less fuel than most modern airplanes of comparable size.

The airline currently operates an all-Boeing fleet of 737, 757, 767 and 777 airplanes in passenger service and a 757, MD11 and 747 in cargo operations. In addition, Ethiopian Airlines has several airplanes on order in Boeing’s backlog, including six 777 Freighters (two to be leased from GECAS and four purchased from Boeing), two 777-300ERs to be leased from GECAS, and eight more Next-Generation 737s.

About Ethiopian

Ethiopian Airlines, one of the largest and fastest growing airlines in Africa, made its maiden international flight to Cairo in 1946. With the latest addition of new services to Seychelles, Ethiopian provides dependable services to 65 international destinations spanning four continents.

Ethiopian is proud to be a Star Alliance Member. The Star Alliance network is the leading global airline network offering customers convenient worldwide reach and a smoother travel experience. The Star Alliance network offers more than 21,000 daily flights to 1,290 airports in 189 countries.

Ethiopian is a multi-award winner for its commitment and contributions towards the development and growth of the African aviation industry and in recognition of its distinguished long-haul operations enhanced by the introduction of new routes and products. Recently, Ethiopian won Gold in the African Airline of the Year 2011/2012 Awards organized by the African Aviation News Portal. Ethiopian also received the 2011 AFRAA award for being consistently profitable over the years and has won the "AFRICAN CARGO AIRLINE OF THE YEAR 2011 Award” for its excellence in air cargo. Ethiopian also won the NEPAD Transport Infrastructure Excellence Awards 2009 and "the Airline of the Year 2009 Award" from the African Airlines Association (AFRAA).

With its acquisition of and firm orders for several new modern fleet, the airline is well positioned to pursue aggressively the implementation of its 2025 strategic plan to become the leading aviation group in Africa.