Ethiopian Airlines’ 2026 Starts With Ordering More Boeing 787s

Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in flight (Boeing press image)

Written by

Alex Achille

in

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Ethiopian Airlines continues to invest in expanding its fleet renewing it and preparing for future growth. Africa’s largest carrier has just announced a new order for more Boeing 787-9s which the parties finalized in December 2025. The addition of these 9 more Boeing 787s testifies how the airline is committed to expanding its international presence.

Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner taxiing on the runway
Ethiopian’s Dreamliner fleet underpins its long-haul network growth.

What Is the Ethiopian Airlines New Boeing Order About in a Nutshell

  • Aircraft ordered: 9 x Boeing 787-9
  • Timing: finalized December 2025 (announced January 20th 2026)
  • Context: follows Ethiopian’s 11 Boeing 737 MAX commitment disclosed at Dubai Airshow 2025

Ethiopian orders 9 more Boeing 787-9s

Although both orders were finalized in December 2025 they are separate and distinct from one another.

Ethiopian Airlines initially agreed for an additional aircraft supply by Boeing at the recent Dubai Air Show 2025. This order must have been in the making at that time and not ready to be publicly revealed. It was later then finalized in December and announced now in January.

This new agreement will have Boeing supply Ethiopian Airlines a further 9 Boeing 787-9s. That’s the mid-sized version of the aircraft which generally seats somewhere in between 260 and 280 passengers depending on the cabin configuration. In Ethiopian Airlines’ specific case the configuration should remain consistent with already owned Boeing 787-9s, which feature:

  • 30 Business Class (Cloud9) seats – in a 1-2-1 layout
  • 285 Economy Class seats – in a 3-3-3 layout
Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner on final approach
A larger 787-9 pipeline supports future long-haul capacity increases.

More Wide Body Planes For More Growth

The newly ordered wide body aircraft will help renovate Ethiopian Airlines’ fleet which features some aging Boeing 787s. However, what I feel the primary goal the carrier is looking to achieve by ordering more wide body planes is preparing for future long haul growth.

Ethiopian Airlines is one of the most active African airlines on the international air travel landscape. There’s been speculation of Ethiopian Airlines wanting to enter the Australian market.

To fuel such large ambitions there will be the need for more long haul capable planes exactly as the 9 Boeing 787-9s it has announced today.

Other Ethiopian Airlines Boeing Orders Posts

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Alex Achille

Ex Emirates Cabin Crew and long time aviation enthusiast. I can remember loving aviation and planes since I was a very little boy. I have developed my passion into a deep knowledge of the sector and industry to offer on my sites in depth and precise analyses of what is going on. I also completed cabin crew training with Ryanair, however, I never worked for the company (more on that another time). Finally I also have taken flying lessons completing my first solo flights.