Ethiopian Airlines to buy six Dreamliners

June 17, 2015

Tinishu Solomon* [caption id="attachment_18746" align="alignleft" width="480"]

FILE PHOTO©REUTERS[/caption] Ethiopian Airlines is set to buy six more 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft after striking a deal with Boeing at the Paris Air Show. The order was previously attributed to an unidentified customer on Boeing's orders and deliveries website. The Dreamliners complement the airline's existing 787 that are part of Ethiopian's long-term strategy to increase capacity and provide greater route flexibility to and from its hub in the capital, Addis Ababa. "This new addition to our fleet will not only benefit Ethiopian because of its unmatched operating costs, but will also help us to enhance overall travel experience of our customers," said Tewolde Gebre Mariam, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines. "The Boeing 787 has earned approval of customers and we always work hard to cater to our customers' preference." In 2014, the International Air Transportation Association ranked Ethiopian as the largest airline in Africa in revenue and profit. The airline is keen to keep this status and is currently implementing a 15-year strategic plan called Vision 2025 that will see it become the leading airline group in Africa. Acquisition of the new 787, which Boeing said is a family of technologically advanced, super-efficient airplanes with new passenger-pleasing features, has become part of the airline's long term strategy. "In line with our Vision 2025 strategic road map and our fleet modernisation and expansion project, we will keep investing heavily in technologically advanced and modern airplanes," Tewolde said. According to Boeing officials, the 787 will provide Ethiopian with better fuel efficiency and environmental performance, using 20 percent less fuel and with 20 percent fewer emissions than the airplanes it would replace. "The 787 is a perfect fit for Ethiopian's medium to long haul routes," said Boeing commercial airplanes president and CEO Ray Conner. "This order will enable the airline to realize greater efficiencies, improved performance and enhanced passenger comfort, and we look forward to continuing our strong relationship with the airline which goes back to its first order in 1960," Conner added in a statement released on Wednesday. Ethiopian Airlines is the first African operator of the 787 and also operates an all-Boeing fleet of 737, 757, 767, 777, and 787 airplanes in passenger service, among many. *Source The Africa Report]]>

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The Ethiopian government launched a five-year Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) aiming to gradually transform the land-locked country into an interconnected economy with efficient high capacity transport links to sell the natural resources so the government officials can send their children to IVY league schools and invest billions of dollars in offshore accounts worldwide..
Ethiopian TPLF affiliated government officials use the Ethiopian Airlines to transport looted money out of Ethiopia. Billions of dollars get transported each year to be invested in the developed countries financial institutions on a regular basis.
Large multinational corporations, attracted by its relative proximity to Europe and the Middle East, have begun exploring the country for it’s incredibly cheaper resources. However, transport costs are high and remain a barrier to investment for this corporations to fully exploit the country’s human and natural resources.