Ethiopian Airlines, which is the largest carrier in Africa, now also becomes the first airline on the continent to receive the gigantic Airbus A350-1000 plane.
The Addis Ababa based airline made aviation history in becoming the first airline in Africa to receive the Airbus A350-1000, the largest and most advanced model in the A350 family.
The Rolls Royce powered aircraft is being described as the airline industry’s large wide body aircraft of reference.
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 A350-1000, with a capacity of 395 seats, will initially serve four major international routes from Addis Ababa to Accra, Lagos, London Heathrow, and Washington Dulles, starting in the 2025 summer season.
It is still not known whether the new plane will be making East African routes, as Ethiopian Airlines also serves Jomo Kenyatta International in Nairobi, Julius Kambarage Airport in Dar-es-salaam and Kilimanjaro International in Arusha.
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.
Alongside the new arrival, Ethiopian Airlines is expanding its regional connections. The airline boasts a fleet of 135 planes so far.
The airline will resume flights to Monrovia, Liberia, after a 14-year hiatus, with nonstop service set to launch on November 30.
This route will operate three times weekly on Boeing 787-8s, continuing onward to Conakry, Guinea, and replacing the current stopover in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.