Ethiopian signs up for five more B777Fs

Ethiopian Airlines has added to its freighter orderbook with the addition of five more Boeing 777Fs.

The aircraft will add to the airline’s existing fleet of nine B777Fs and will meet near-term demand, although the exact timeline for deliveries was not revealed.

The new order comes in addition to a Memorandum of Understanding that the carrier signed with Boeing in March for five of its new generation B777-8Fs that the airframer is currently developing.

Ethiopian Airlines Group chief executive Mesfin Tasew said: “The addition of these five 777 Freighters into our cargo fleet will enable us to meet the growing demand in our cargo operation. While cementing our partnership with Boeing with new orders, the growth of our freighter fleet takes the capacity and efficiency of our shipment service to the next level.”

Ihssane Mounir, Boeing’s senior vice president of commercial sales and marketing, added: “Ethiopian Airlines’ all-Boeing freighter fleet provides them with unrivalled capability and flexibility as Africa’s largest cargo operator.

“These additional B777 Freighters will enable Ethiopian to capitalize on near-term cargo demand, while positioning the airline for further expansion in the future.”

The B777 freighter can carry up tp 107 tonnes of cargo with a maximum range of 9,200 km.

In addition to its B777Fs, Ethiopian Airlines also operates three Boeing 737-800 converted freighters.

Ethiopian Airlines the second to order the recently launched B777-8F