Ethiopian Airlines chooses single aisle Boeing 737 Max aircraft

Ethiopian Airlines has chosen the single aisle Boeing 737 Max aircraft as its future regional jet fleet, reports Ethiosports.

The decision comes after the airline invited companies to present their proposals for the supply of narrow-body aircraft. Six aircraft manufacturers have submitted their proposals. 

Analyst Saj Ahmad commented: “Given that the Boeing 737 family is the incumbent at Ethiopian Airlines, it makes sense for the rapidly growing African carrier to stick with the 737MAX since the commonality, cost of operation and ease of network integration would be far easier to absorb. 

“While the A320neo too would have been a good selection, that model has fewer open delivery slots and this will have been a key facet in Ethiopian Airlines' decision making. While the Bombardier CSeries was also mooted as a contender, the reality is that the CSeries is beset with flight test woes, it has been slow in terms of sales and there is widespread consensus that the CSeries will not be as competitive as the A320neo or 737MAX because its smaller and has less range and its operating costs and lifecycle/utilisation rate could never match the Airbus and Boeing products - notwithstanding the fact that the bulk of its order book is held aloft with shaky, junk credit rated customers.” 

Ahmad added: “Ethiopian Airlines however has made a smart decision to stay with Boeing and the 737 MAX family - after early woes with Boeing on the 787, the airline is also eyeing up a sizeable order for the new 777-9X to complement its long haul growth strategy.”