Ethiopian Airlines Agrees to Buy 10 Boeing Freighters, Secures Rights for Eight More

ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopian Airlines (ET) has signed an agreement to buy ten Boeing freighters: eight 777-8Fs and two current-generation 777Fs. The carrier also secured rights to buy eight more 777-8Fs, Reuters reported from Wednesday's signing ceremony. Ethiopian News Agency's account of the ceremony describes the ten-aircraft purchase as a firm order.

Chief Executive Mesfin Tasew put the ten aircraft's catalog value at about US$5bn but said the negotiated price was confidential. Ethiopian's current fleet page lists 12 777Fs and four converted 737s in service. The new agreement covers the same long-haul 777F type already in the cargo fleet, as well as the 777X-family freighter.

The two aircraft types have different delivery horizons. Tasew said the 777Fs are due in 2027 and 2028, while the eight 777-8Fs are scheduled to arrive from 2033 through 2035, according to the Ethiopian News Agency's ceremony report. He also said the airline plans to acquire four passenger 777s converted into freighters, separate from the ten new aircraft.

A Longer Wait for the 777-8F

The 777-8F is designed to carry more cargo volume than the 777F. Boeing lists 31 main-deck pallet positions and 17% more volume for the newer aircraft. Ethiopian's two current-generation 777Fs are scheduled years ahead of its first 777-8F. A limited FAA exemption previously covered by Airways allows up to 35 newly built 777Fs to receive their first U.S. airworthiness certificates from 2028, beyond the date at which new emissions rules would otherwise restrict them.

The agreement follows a 2022 memorandum of understanding for five 777-8Fs. That earlier document expressed an intent to purchase; the material reviewed for this story does not establish how those five aircraft relate to Wednesday's order. If Ethiopian exercises all eight new purchase rights, its purchases under the new arrangement would total 18 aircraft: 16 777-8Fs and two 777Fs.