In a bold and ambitious move, African carrier Ethiopian Airlines has set its sights on a substantial expansion, revealing plans to augment its current fleet by adding an impressive 120 new aircraft.
The strategic move, reflecting the airline’s commitment to growth and innovation, marks a significant milestone as Ethiopian Airlines positions itself for an even more influential role in the global aviation landscape.
According to The Group Chief Commercial Officer (GCCO), Ethiopian Airlines, Lemma Yadecha Gudeta, said the plan of the airline is to have a minimum of 209 international destinations in 32 stations, adding that the additional aircraft order will place it in a position to better serve those routes.
He said the airline will be needing more planes to meet its 2035 target, adding that it needs a minimum of 217 airplanes for it to properly navigate the aviation landscape.
“Ethiopian Airlines is planning to add an additional 120 aircraft very soon.
“The fact is that we ordered those aircraft to join our fleet when we looked at our journey in the last 10 years, making tremendous improvement on our service, customer service delivery and cargo before we decided to increase the destinations that we are flying into because by 2025, the plan is to have a minimum of 209 international destinations in 32 stations.
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“You know for us to operate those stations; we need a minimum of 217 airplanes for us to properly navigate to where we are heading to. Definitely, we are going to add more because we need to replace some of the older airplanes that we have now. By 2035, we are expected to have 217 airplanes, which is in line with our Vision 2035.
“We are operating in Africa and this continent is a place where we call home. The air connectivity in Africa is not really developed to the level that Africa really wants to be. That gives us a real opportunity to increase our market shares and also the number of passengers per fleet. Ethiopia is also the second most populous nation in Africa with 124 million people and it is next to Nigeria. We have to have an air transport that can accommodate this huge population. Africa in general needs very strong connectivity and to do so, you need a reliable airline in place.
“Yes, at a time, we had 25 airplanes and today, we have grown to 146 airplanes in our fleet. That is due to the hard work of men and women of Ethiopian Airlines, working all over the globe, including Nigeria and other western African countries.
