In the first half of 2023, Ethiopia's largest airline will make a final decision on purchasing a new regional jet fleet.
The narrowbody side of the plane is being evaluated by the company, according to the CEO of the airline.
We need to bridge the capacity gap between the De Havilland Dash-8 and the Boeings.
The Star Alliance member needs more aircraft. The carrier is looking at the two planes. He said that the widebody that fits best with the network would be chosen.
He said that the cargo fleet of the airline must be expanded. He said that they have a plan to evaluate the A350F.
The need to expand the passenger fleet is more important than the decision on new freighters. We should decide where to go in the first half of next year. The decision has to be made for both wide and narrow bodies.
The CEO was asked if the A321XLR could play a role in the future of Ethiopia. We operate more than 30 Boeings, which will probably grow to 50 by adding more Boeings.
The concern is, two different aircraft models of the same size will increase complexity and costs in terms of pilots, maintenance etc.,”
Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mesfin Tasew
Management would find it hard to justify having two different types of aircraft in the same seat size segment when the fleet size increases. To have cost leadership, you have to harmonize your fleet and operate fewer aircraft models.
“When we add either Embraer E195 or Airbus A220, we would have a seventh type in our fleet. We want to be careful in further fleet evaluation.”
Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mesfin Tasew
The widebody business of Ethiopia will continue to be led by the A350 and the 787-9. A new type of aircraft would be the 777X. If the cockpit crew cross-utilization that Ethiopia implements today between the 787 and 777 is viable if it is upgraded to the 777X, then a decision will have to be made on the new plane.
The current orderbook of Ethiopia includes six A350s, two 787s, 22737 MAX family aircraft and five 777Fs on the freighter side.
The first passenger-to-cargo conversion took place in October. The second aircraft is being converted into a third aircraft. The CEO said that they were going to convert some of the jets into freighters. Ethiopia will return to leasing companies in the near future.
The airline has a long-term plan called Vision25. He said that the strategy had been revised to make it Vision 2035.
“We aim to grow our destinations to 207 from 131. We anticipate that we need 270 aircraft; we want to grow cargo four times, to become one of the top 20 airlines worldwide.”
Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mesfin Tasew
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