Ethiopian to purchase 17 additional planes

 7E7 or A350?

 By our staff reporter

Ethiopian Airlines is evaluating an order for up to 17 7E7s or A350s, assuming the latter program is launched.
"We will make a decision in one or two months. If we decide on Boeing, new aircraft could be delivered in four years. For Airbus, it would be in about six years' time," CEO Girma Wake told ATWOnline in Dakar during the 36th Annual African Airlines General Assembly.

The aircraft will be needed to increase frequencies on existing routes to China, where Ethiopian serves Hong Kong and Guangzhou, the US East Coast and India. "But we also are looking for new destinations in China, like Shanghai, as well more cities in India," Wake added.

The airline serves Washington three times weekly and will introduce a fourth frequency soon. "We are also thinking about coming back to New York. Toronto is high on our list. We also think about daily flights to the US East Coast via Europe or West Africa," Wake said. In Europe, Brussels will be opened next.

He said Ethiopian is preparing itself to be a desirable partner for Oneworld or Star, "but we don't want to put ourselves under pressure to join an alliance. First we would offer more frequencies in our network and add new destinations. Then we can be attractive for an alliance."

The 7E7 will be a super-efficient airplane that can carry 200 to 250 passengers in tri-class configurations. Current plans call for it to fly up to 7,500 nautical miles.

In addition to bringing big-jet ranges to mid-size airplanes, the 7E7 will provide airlines with unmatched fuel efficiency, resulting in exceptional performance in environmental protection. The airplane will use 15- to 20-percent less fuel for comparable missions than other similarly sized airplanes. It also will travel at speeds similar to today's fastest widebodies, Mach 0.85.

Passengers will benefit from a new approach to interiors, which will enhance their comfort and conveniences during 7E7 flights.

Boeing is continuing its discussions with airlines around the world about the 7E7, and is moving toward some significant decisions later this year, including its major suppliers and final technology selections for the airplane.

At the end of the year, Air Europa of Spain announced its decision to order 10 A350-800s and is thus the first airline to commit to the new 245-seater aircraft. The announcement of the launch of the A350 on 11th December, as a complement to the A330 Family, is an important market expansion for Airbus, reflecting an ability to satisfy both consolidation and fragmentation. Intercontinental traffic continues to grow, partly through the development of new services between cities (fragmentation) and through the further development of traffic on existing hub-to-hub routes (consolidation). The new sisterships to the A330s called "A350" models respond to market demand. The A350 is due to enter into service in 2010.
In the long-range sector, market performance confirms that the A330/A340 Family is the leader, with 79 orders giving it a 65 per cent market share. The 275-375 seat category (the A330-300, A340-500 and A340-600) also dominated the sector with a 57 per cent market share with 56 aircraft ordered. The A330 has the fastest growing operator base with 13 new operators in the last 16 months. This trend is confirmed by Airbus' Global Market Forecast, which predicts that up to 60 new long-haul routes could be opened in the transpacific market and between Europe and Asia in particular.

New operators for the A330 this year include Yemenia, China airlines, Egyptair, Lufthansa, and for the A340 Family, South African Airways and Air Canada. Airbus achieved significant new orders from Turkish Airlines and China Eastern. It won repeat orders from Emirates, Iberia and Air Tahiti for the A340 and Qantas, Eva Air, Qatar and Cathay Pacific Airways in the A330 Family.