Ethiopian Airlines has ordered eight Boeing 777-8 Freighters and two 777 Freighters, with the deal signed in Addis Ababa and positioning the carrier as the first African airline to buy the 777-8 Freighter. The order expands Ethiopian’s cargo fleet and doubles its 777X family order book after its earlier purchase of eight 777-9 passenger jets.
The 777-8 Freighter is Boeing’s newest widebody freighter and is designed to carry a higher payload over longer distances while cutting operating costs per tonne. Ethiopian’s existing cargo operation already relies heavily on Boeing aircraft, including 12 777 freighters, three 767 freighters and four converted 737 freighters.
Ethiopian chief executive Mesfin Tasew has an option to buy eight more 777-8 Freighters. The commercial value of the deal was put at about $5 billion at catalogue prices, although the final price was not disclosed.
Delivery timing also differs by variant. The two 777Fs are expected in 2027 and 2028, while the eight 777-8 Freighters are scheduled much later, from 2033 to 2035.