Ethiopian Airlines, that country’s national flag carrier, has become the first African airline to order the Airbus A350-1000 airliner, the largest model in the new-generation Airbus A350XWB family. The airline did so by converting an existing order for four of the smaller A350-900s into an order for A350-1000s.

Ethiopian had previously ordered 22 A350-900s, of which 16 had already been delivered. With the decision to go for the A350-1000s, the airline’s order backlog with Airbus now stood at two more A350-900s and four A350-1000s.

“We are delighted over the upsizing of the A350-900 on order to the largest variant, A350-1000, that helps us stay ahead of the curve in technology,” enthused Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew. “We are the technology leaders in the continent introducing the latest technology and fuel-efficient fleet into Africa.”

“We are proud of our strong partnership with Ethiopian Airlines – the first airline in Africa to order and operate the A350-900,” highlighted Airbus Africa and the Middle East president Mikail Houari. “In another first, Ethiopian Airlines is once again leading the way in Africa’s aviation sector by introducing the A350-1000, the largest version of the world’s most efficient and technologically advanced passenger aircraft. The A350-900 has delivered extraordinary capability, fuel efficiency, and operational reliability of 99.5% together with unbeatable operational flexibility and efficiency, from short to ultra-long-range operations.”

More than 70% of an A350’s airframe was composed of advanced materials such as composites, modern aluminium alloys and titanium. The airliner was powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, developed specifically for the A350XWB-family, which reduced fuel burn (and thus carbon emissions) by 25% per seat in comparison with previous airliners. While the A350-900 could carry up to 440 passengers and had a maximum range of 15 372 km, the A350-1000 could accommodate up to 480 passengers and had a maximum range of 16 112 km.

“The A350-1000 is the best fit for our dense routes, and we believe that the upsizing will be instrumental in satisfying the increasing demand of customers in our vast global network across five continents,” explained Tasew. “We will continue on keeping ourselves abreast of aviation technology advancements to enhance our service and fulfil customers’ demand.”