March 5 (Reuters) – Ethiopian Airlines has agreed to purchase eight Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab 777-9 widebody jets, with potential for up to 12 additional aircraft orders, the companies said in a statement on Tuesday.
Major airlines are in a race to place new orders for fuel-efficient widebody jets to keep operating costs down and to cater to booming international travel demand.
The order from Ethiopian Airlines comes as Boeing faces increased scrutiny due to a Jan. 5 incident when a door plug blew off a brand new 737 MAX plane mid-flight.
Boeing’s 777X program, which has seen hundreds of jet orders from airlines across the world, has been plagued by five years of delays.
Last week, Emirates president Tim Clark raised the prospect that first delivery of the 777X, the world’s largest twin-engine jet, could slip into 2026 from late 2025. Emirates is the largest buyer of the plane.
Ethiopian Airlines’ selection of 777-9 jets makes the carrier the first 777X customer in Africa and is in addition to its 2023 order of 11 787 Dreamliner and 20 737 MAX jets.
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