While both on the first day and the second day of Dubai Airshow 2023 multiple aircraft orders were announced, the third day only saw one – the show’s second one for Ethiopian Airlines, this time for Airbus aircraft. That said, there were also some additional equipment orders and other things worth talking about.
Continue reading to learn more about what happened on the third day of the airshow.
Ethiopian Airlines Signs an MoU for More Airbus A350s
As mentioned in yesterday’s overview of the airshow’s second day, Ethiopian Airlines currently operates a diverse widebody fleet including everything from Boeing 767, 777, and 787, all the way to the A350 – the sole Airbus type in its fleet.
The airline is also looking to grow aggressively and as part of that, on the show’s second day, it placed firm orders for over 30 Boeing 787s and 737-8s with options for over 30 more. On the third day of the airshow, the airline also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Airbus to purchase 11 additional A350-900s.
These 11 airframes are in addition to the 20 A350-900s that the airline already operates. In addition to that, Ethiopian Airlines – the types largest customer in Africa – also has four of the longer A350-1000s on order.
Commenting on the order, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew said the airline is “keen to expand our fleet size, acquiring the latest technology aircraft…” The Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International for Airbus, Christian Scherer, highlighted the country’s beneficial location, mentioning that the airline can take advantage of the A350 while “playing on the benefits of Ethiopia’s unique geographical position that offers the fastest connections between China and Latin America.”
Egyptair Chooses IFE System for Its A350 & More
While the above is the only order for airliners that was made on Dubai Airshow 2023’s third day, there were also some other announcements worth knowing of including:
- Egyptair choosing Panasonic Avionics’ Astrova: The Japanese manufacturer announced that Egyptair will be the first airline in Africa to use its Astrova seat-end solution. As part of the deal, Egyptair’s A350 business class seats will be equipped with 19-inch 4K OLED monitors and economy class screens with 12-inch screens. Panasonic will also provide in-flight connectivity services for these aircraft.
- Flydubai planning to build a new MRO facility: The airline announced plans to build a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in Dubai South by 2026. The $190 million facility will be built by Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub (MBRAH). The new facility will provide a place for maintenance on its 737s as well as the 787s it ordered on this airshow’s first day to be done.
Summary
The third day of Dubai Airshow 2023 was relatively slow when it came to airline-related announcements. That said, it was still great to see Ethiopian Airlines move toward expanding its widebody fleet by 11 more A350-900s, as well as to learn about some of the smaller announcements like Egyptair’s choice of a seat-end solution for its A350s.
Stay tuned to see what the remaining two days of the airshow bring.
