Ethiopian enters new era with first A350-1000

The carrier urgently needs the largest member of the A350 widebody family to offer additional capacity on popular routes that connect London Heathrow, Frankfurt and Washington DC to Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

“We are here to celebrate this monumental occasion in the history of Ethiopian Airlines and the African aviation industry,” said Mesfin Tasew, Group CEO of the carrier, speaking at the Airbus aircraft delivery centre in Toulouse on 4 November.

Ethiopia’s government, which is the sole owner of Ethiopian Airlines, is committed to the success of the carrier as it aims to “connect Africa to the world” and “support the continent’s economic growth”, said Yilma Merdasa, chairman of the airline’s management board and chief of the country’s air force, who attended the delivery event.

Describing the carrier’s partnership with Airbus as “deep-rooted” it has “flourished” since Ethiopian took delivery of its first A350, the smaller -900 version that it operates with 343 seats, in June 2016, said Tasew.

Ethiopian now operates 20 A350-900s and will take delivery of a further 11 of this type from 2027. The A350-1000 twinjet is powered by the Rolls-Royce XWB-97 engine, which is the sole engine option for the A350 family.

While the A350-900 has become “a core fleet” for Ethiopian with “outstanding reliability and performance” the extra 16 business class seats offered on the A350-1000, with 46 in total, is a “step change” compared to the 30 available on the smaller -900, said Tasew.

Ethiopian is taking delivery of four A350-1000s, with the second arriving in the first week of December, another in the third week of that month and the final one in March 2025, Tasew told African Aerospace.

The first A350-1000 will be operated to eight destinations across Ethiopian’s network in a promotion move until the carrier receives its second one when both will be dedicated to serving its Washington DC route. On this route, plus Heathrow and Frankfurt, the larger business class cabin is required to meet demand as the carrier’s premium product is often fully booked, he explained.

Additionally, the A350-1000 will be especially vital at slot-constrained airports like London Heathrow with 11% more capacity compared to the A350-900, said Tasew.

The A350-1000 also brings other important improvements over the airline’s existing fleet such as the latest in-flight entertainment system, supplied by Thales, and the aircraft’s innovative lighting system.

“This will enhance and elevate our level of service for customers” while also providing a “competitive edge” over its rivals, said Tasew. “We are setting a new benchmark for the aviation industry in Africa.”