Ethiopian Airlines has entered preliminary discussions with Airbus over a sweeping new order that could see Africa's largest carrier add roughly twenty-six European-built jets to its mostly Boeing-shaped fleet β a striking shift for an airline long considered one of Boeing's most loyal customers on the African continent.
According to reports first surfaced by Bloomberg and amplified by aviation outlets on 13 May 2026, the proposed package centers on around six Airbus A350 widebodies for intercontinental routes and approximately twenty Airbus A220 regional jets aimed at thinner short and medium-haul markets. No final agreement has been announced, and Ethiopian executives have stopped short of confirming exact numbers, calling the talks early-stage.
Why The Move Matters
Ethiopian Airlines currently operates one of the most diverse widebody fleets in Africa, anchored by Boeing 777s and 787s and supported by a long-running Airbus A350-900 commitment. Adding additional A350s would deepen that footprint, while the A220 would be an entirely new aircraft type for the Addis Ababa-based carrier β its first foray into the former Bombardier C-Series family that Airbus took over in 2018.
Analysts following the carrier point to two pressures driving the conversation. Boeing's persistent delivery delays on the 737 MAX, 787 and 777X programs have left several legacy customers searching for capacity, and Ethiopian's expansion roadmap is unusually aggressive. The airline is helping anchor the planned $12.5 billion Addis Ababa Bishoftu airport project, which is being designed to handle more than one hundred million passengers annually once fully operational.
What Comes Next
If the order is firmed up, it would mark one of the most significant African widebody and regional commitments in recent memory and a clear signal that Ethiopian Airlines is willing to rebalance its supplier mix to keep its growth ambitions on schedule. A finalized A220 selection would also give Airbus a powerful reference customer for the type across the continent, where the jet has so far seen only limited uptake.
For Airbus, locking in a high-profile African flag carrier alongside its existing African Airbus operators would extend its momentum at a moment when its order book is already running well ahead of Boeing's year-to-date intake. For Boeing, it is another reminder that legacy loyalty no longer guarantees the next contract β particularly when delivery slots remain the industry's most valuable currency.
Compiled from publicly available aviation news sources. Featured image: AI-generated by AviationShop. This article is original editorial content; facts have been verified across multiple public sources.
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