Ethiopian Airlines Group has announced plans to almost double its fleet over the next 12 years and expand its global network as Africa’s largest carrier, seeking to better compete with Gulf rivals linking passengers between Asia, the Americas, and Europe.
The state-owned carrier — Africa’s largest airline — is looking to increase its number of planes to more than 270 by 2035, compared with 140 now, and fly to more than 200 airports across the world.
The Group’s new Chief Executive Officer Mesfin Tasew says that if successful, the strategy could generate annual sales of $25 billion from commercial and freight operations, up fivefold on 2021.
The group is also trying to expand by creating new national airlines, for example in Nigeria, and developing partnerships in several other countries.
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However, one barrier to Ethiopian Airlines’ ambition is the lack of progress on a new airport about 70km south of Addis Ababa. Bole International Airport, the city’s main hub and the airline’s headquarters, is operating at near capacity and will be “a hindrance to further growth,” the CEO said.
The construction of the new airport — originally projected to cost $5 billion and handle as many as 100 million passengers a year — is two years late and yet to begin due to complications over the land ownership.
Elsewhere, Rwanda is also gearing to become a regional aviation hub. Its national carrier, Rwandair currently operates 12 aircraft across 28 destinations in 22 countries across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
However, its capacity is expected to double next year when it concludes negotiations with Qatar, which is set to acquire a 49% stake.
Qatar Airways’ planned investment is valued at least $28 million, according to financial statements submitted to the US Department of Transportation last year.
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