Ethiopian Airlines buys six more Boeing 787-9 airplanes

By David ShepardsonWednesday April 22, 2026

Luggage and travelers’ belongings are loaded before the departure of an Ethiopian Airlines plane at N’Djamena International Airport in the capital city of N’Djamena, Chad, December 2, 2025…. Purchase Licensing Rights

Ethiopian Airlines moved to widen its long-haul reach on Monday, announcing that it will purchase six more Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners as Africa’s biggest airline pushes deeper into service across Africa and on routes to the U.S., Europe and Asia.

In an interview with Reuters after a signing ceremony at Boeing’s headquarters outside Washington, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew said the carrier was turning six options into firm orders. He said the airline had already ordered 20 new 787s, including nine in January.

Tasew said the company would begin receiving the 26 ⁠787s in 2028.

“There are mature routes we need,” he said, pointing to several markets in Africa where the airline wants to deploy larger aircraft. “There are routes ​that we wanted to fly, but we couldn’t do because of shortage of airplanes – like Australia.”

Members of the Trump administration attended the ceremony, reflecting the White House’s emphasis on supporting U.S. exports of Boeing aircraft.

In Washington, Tasew also spoke with U.S. officials about Ethiopian Airlines’ $12.5 billion airport project in Bishoftu, a development expected to become Africa’s largest airport when it is completed in 2030.

“The new airport will have a capacity of 60 million passengers with all the latest ultramodern facilities,” Tasew said. “We want this airport to be the Dubai of Africa, or the Istanbul of Africa.”

The state-owned airline won the contract to design the four-runway airport in the town, which is about 45 km (28 miles) southeast of Addis Ababa. Work on the project began in January.

Once complete, the facility will hold more than four times as many passengers as Ethiopia’s current main airport, which Tasew said is expected to run out of room for existing traffic within the next two to three years.

The financing plan includes the African Development Bank, which said in August it would provide $500 million and help mobilize another $8.7 billion.

“We are very happy with the response from U.S. financial institutions,” Tasew said. “Several of them have expressed ​interest to participate.”

Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese and Thomas Derpinghaus