Ethiopian Airlines fleet


Ethiopian Airlines operates a fleet of Airbus A350, Boeing 737, Boeing 767, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 making a total fleet of 125 aircraft.

Current fleet

, the Ethiopian Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:


Aside from the equipment shown above, the airline uses a number of DA40NGs for training purposes. Ethiopian Airlines had the largest dedicated cargo fleet in Africa, as of 2013.

Recent developments

In, Ethiopian Airlines signed a preliminary agreement to buy up to ten Boeing 787 Dreamliners, becoming the first African carrier to order 787s. On, Boeing announced that Ethiopian had exercised its purchase rights and confirmed a firm order for ten aircraft. The carrier was the first African airline to order and to operate the Boeing 777-200LR. and took possession of its first in.
. The airline took delivery of the first aircraft of the type in.
The company ordered eight Bombardier Q400s for million in and took options on four more. During the 2009 Dubai Air Show, Ethiopian placed an order for 12 Airbus A350-900s, initially scheduled for delivery between 2016 and 2019. At November 2011, this order was the largest placed by the airline, and it evidenced the company's dissatisfaction with Boeing for the delays in the delivery of the Dreamliners, initially scheduled to enter the fleet in. In, Ethiopian Airlines announced a firm order for ten Boeing 737-800 Next Generation aircraft in a deal worth US$767 million. The first 78-seater Q400 was acquired in ; in, Ethiopian and the Ex-Im Bank signed an agreement worth billion for a loan to finance the acquisition of the ten Dreamliners and the five Boeing 777s already in the fleet.
In, the company announced an order for four Boeing 777Fs in a deal worth billion; Ethiopian Airlines is the first African carrier to order the aircraft. These four will join two others the airline will lease from GECAS. The first was received in mid.
Five Q400 NextGens were ordered in for million at list prices, whereas in, an additional Boeing 777-200LR was ordered in a deal worth million. In, the first Dreamliner was delivered to the airline, which became the third airline to operate the type on scheduled flights, preceded only by All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines. Also in, the first Q400 NexGen was delivered, and in the same year, the airline confirmed that three additional Dreamliners would be leased from ILFC, the first of them entering service in 2015. In, Air Lease Corporation and Ethiopian Airlines announced the lease of two Boeing 777-300ERs, with deliveries in and. In early the same year, Ex-Im Bank approved around million for Boeing to support the development of GE90-equipped long-haul aircraft for Ethiopian Airlines. The airline took delivery of its first Boeing 777-300ER in. That month, during the Dubai Air Show, Palma Holding signed a letter of intent with Bombardier for Q400s to be leased to Ethiopian; the order was firmed up in. In the carrier announced a firm order for 20 Boeing 737 MAX 8s and commitments for 15 more. In, Ethiopian Airlines had the most numerous fleet in Africa. In 2015 the airline planned to buy 15 to 20 of Boeing's new 777X planes worth about $7.4 billion at list prices. Although the airline had initially planned to buy Airbus' A350-1000 jets, it switched to the 777X as it is more suitable for operations at their high-altitude hub in Addis Ababa. It was the first airline in Africa to acquire a Boeing 787 full-flight simulator.
The airline received its first Airbus A350 XWB in. At the 2017 Paris Airshow, Ethiopian announced an additional firm order for 10 Airbus A350-900s, and committed to purchasing two Boeing 777 Freighter aircraft. The airline also exercised its options for 10 Boeing 737 MAX 8s they had from their original order in 2014, extending the largest 737 MAX order by an African carrier. In October 2017, the airline took delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, making it the first airline in Africa to take delivery and operate the type. During the 2017 Dubai Airshow, Ethiopian Airlines placed a firm order for four Boeing 777 Freighters, valued at more than $1.3 billion at list prices; these aircraft will be powered with GE90-115B engines.
In January 2018, Ethiopian Airlines' Cargo and Logistics Services signed an agreement with aircraft lessor GECAS to lease two Boeing 737-800SF freighters. With deliveries set for June 2018 and January 2019 respectively, these passenger aircraft will be converted into freighter aircraft by Miami, Florida-based Aeronautical Engineers Inc.. Later that year, Ethiopian Airlines placed a repeat order for the Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft. This additional purchase includes a firm order for 10 Q400s in a deal worth million plus purchase rights for five additional aircraft of the type. In June, Ethiopian Airlines took delivery of its 100th aircraft, a Boeing 787-9; making history as the first airline in Africa to operate a total of 100 aeroplanes in its fleet as part of its fleet expansion and modernisation. The airline took delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 in July 2018.
In May 2019, Ethiopian Airlines reached an agreement with the government of Ghana, foreshadowing the setup of a new national airline in Accra to rejuvenate its aviation sector. According to The Reporter, the coming airline is supposed to be home-based, and Ghana, as well as its private sector, will have a minimum of 51 percent stake in the development.

Historical fleet

Following is a list of equipment previously operated by Ethiopian. Helicopters and light aircraft were available for leasing to Government agencies as well as to be used on natural resources projects.