Northern Tanzania becomes the first destination in East Africa to receive Africa’s first Airbus A350-1000 which is currently being commissioned by Ethiopian Airlines.
Now the inaugural Airbus A350-1000, the largest and most advanced model in the A350 family landed at the Kilimanjaro International Airport in the afternoon of Sunday, 10 November 2024.
The Rolls Royce powered aircraft is being described as the airline industry’s large wide body aircraft of reference.
The ETH815 A35K plane with registration ET-BAW flew directly from Addis Ababa to Kilimanjaro on the average altitude of 2,850 feet with ground speed of 102 knots.
As it happens, the A350-1000 comfortably accommodates from 350 to 410 passengers in a standard three-class configuration, with 40 percent more area for premium-category seating.
The highly anticipated aircraft was scheduled to join the Ethiopian Airlines fleet on November 5, which it did and therefore adding to the airline’s status as a leading African carrier.
The most celebrated A350-1000, with a capacity of 395 seats, is set to initially serve four major international routes from Addis Ababa to Accra, Lagos, London Heathrow, and Washington Dulles, starting in the 2025 summer season.
But from the initial manifest, East African Destinations such as Nairobi, Kilimanjaro and Dar-es-salaam were not included but all over a sudden the A350-1000 taxied at KIA.
The Addis-Ababa based, Ethiopian Airlines also serves Jomo Kenyatta International in Nairobi, Julius Kambarage Airport in Dar-es-salaam and Kilimanjaro International standing between Arusha and Moshi towns.
Ethiopian Airlines originally listed London Heathrow as the first route to welcome this aircraft model, though the official start date for service is yet to be confirmed by the company management.
Ethiopian Airlines placed an order for four A350-1000 aircraft in 2022, aiming to enhance its capacity on high-demand routes while benefiting from the aircraft’s advanced efficiency and passenger comfort.
The addition is a significant milestone for the airline and African aviation as a whole, positioning Ethiopian Airlines as the first on the continent to operate this cutting-edge aircraft.