Ethiopian Airlines aims to launch its first flights to Australia in 2028 after receiving new long-haul aircraft.
The date of its expansion to Australia will depend on when its new Boeing aircraft are delivered, the airline said. Ethiopian Airlines is Africa’s largest commercial carrier, and serves 145 international destinations across five continents.
“We need at least two large aircraft to operate to the continent,” said Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mesfin Tasew. “It will take at least two years to receive aircraft from manufacturers.”
“We will most likely start flying to Australia in 2028, either by renting or purchasing, as a larger batch of aircraft will arrive after that year.”
Ethiopian Airlines is set to receive new Boeing 737 Max narrow-body aircraft in 2027, with wide-body jets due in 2028. It became the first African carrier to order Boeing’s 777-9 wide-body aircraft in 2024.
It also said last month that it had ordered nine wide-body Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, which will be delivered between 2031 and 2033.
The airline has shortlisted two Australian cities as destinations for non-stop flights, said Mesfin, and will confirm these cities once it has received the required aircraft.
Ethiopian Airlines said last week that its revenue in the last half-year rose 14% to US$4.4 billion. It carried 10.64 million passengers across both its domestic and international networks.
It began construction on Bishoftu International Airport, located 40 kilometres southwest of Addis Ababa, in January. The airport's $12.5 billion first phase will be complete by 2030, and would accommodate up to 60 million passengers annually.
