Australia in sight? Ethiopian Airlines adds 9 Boeing 787 Dreamliners to long-haul fleet
January 20, 2026
Ethiopian Airlines has completed one of the most strategically coherent fleet expansion programmes seen from an African carrier in recent years, converting long-signalled intentions into firm orders across both Boeing and Airbus widebody families. Taken together, the moves point increasingly clearly towards one long-discussed goal: launching services to Australia.
The latest piece fell into place today, 20 January, when Ethiopian confirmed a firm order for nine Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The deal completes a commitment openly indicated by the airline at the Dubai Airshow just weeks earlier, where CEO Mesfin Tasew said the carrier was close to exercising options on additional 787s.
Those nine aircraft now sit alongside two other major Dubai announcements. Ethiopian exercised options for 11 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, supporting regional and medium-haul growth, and separately signed for six additional Airbus A350-900s, reinforcing its position as Africa’s largest A350 operator.
Nine 787-9 Dreamliners finalised as long-haul growth accelerates
At the Dubai Airshow, Ethiopian’s messaging was unusually transparent. While the MAX order dominated headlines, Tasew told AGN that discussions on widebodies were in their final stages, confirming that nine 787s held as options were likely to be firmed up imminently.
That promise has now been delivered.
“We are pleased to confirm the order for nine Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to further expand our existing fleet,” Tasew said, describing the jets as central to the airline’s growth strategy rather than replacement capacity.
The 787-9s will support expansion beyond Ethiopian’s existing long-haul network, which already spans more than 145 international destinations across Africa, Europe, Asia and North America.
“The 787 Dreamliner family has proven to be a game-changer for airlines around the world, and we are proud to support Ethiopian Airlines in their mission to connect Africa with the global community,” said Anbessie Yitbarek, Boeing vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing for Africa. “Together, we look forward to shaping the future of air travel with advanced, efficient and comfortable airplanes to serve their passengers.”
Airbus A350 order shows Ethiopian’s dual-manufacturer strategy
Crucially, the Dreamliner deal has not come at the expense of Airbus. Just one day after the MAX announcement in Dubai, Ethiopian signed an agreement with Airbus for six additional A350-900s, adding to a fleet that already includes 22 A350-900s and four larger A350-1000s.
The A350 has played a dual role for Ethiopian, replacing ageing Boeing 767-300ERs while enabling sustained long-haul expansion with higher capacity and lower fuel burn. The type is deployed on some of the airline’s densest international routes and remains central to its hub-growth model at Addis Ababa.
“We are delighted to expand our Airbus fleet size with this order and strengthen our partnership with Airbus,” Tasew said at the time, framing the deal as a sustainability and growth milestone.
Why the 787-9 and A350-900 are ideal for Australia services
The strategic significance of these orders becomes clearer when set against Ethiopian’s earlier public comments about Australia. In July 2025, Asia-Pacific regional manager Telila Deressa Gutema confirmed the airline was actively pursuing services to Australia and was specifically looking for A350s or 787 Dreamliners to support the route.
Those aircraft are now firmly on order.
The distances involved, around 5,000nm to Perth and close to 6,800nm to Sydney, sit comfortably within the performance envelope of both the 787-9 and A350-900. More importantly, Ethiopian’s hub-and-spoke model allows Australian services to be built around onward connectivity across Africa, rather than relying purely on point-to-point demand.
That proposition would differentiate Ethiopian from existing Australia–Africa links operated by Qantas and South African Airways, which focus primarily on Johannesburg.
Boeing and Airbus orders underline Ethiopian’s long-term fleet vision
Rather than hedging its bets, Ethiopian’s simultaneous investment in Boeing and Airbus widebodies reflects confidence and leverage. Maintaining scale fleets of both the 787 and A350 families gives the airline flexibility at a time when delivery slots are scarce and long-haul demand is resurging.
No Australian launch has yet been announced, and Ethiopian has avoided committing to timelines or city pairs. But with fresh Dreamliners and A350s entering the order book, and with senior management already laying the groundwork in the region, the airline’s long-standing Australia ambition now looks closer to execution than ever.
When the announcement does come, it will likely feel sudden. In reality, it has been years in the making, and the aircraft are finally on the way.
Featured image: Boeing
