Addis Ababa- Ethiopian Airlines (ET) will acquire Africa’s first Airbus A350-1000 in October (this month) and will fly to London Heathrow (LHR). The aircraft registered as ET-BAW, accommodates 395 passengers through 46 business and 349 economy seats.
Ethiopian Airlines ordered four A350-1000s in 2022. These aircraft rank second in fleet capacity at 395 seats, following only the Boeing 777-300ER’s 399 seats.
Ethiopian Fly A350-1000 to London Heathrow
Ethiopian Airlines will introduce a 395-seat A350-1000 on the Addis Ababa (ADDA)–London Heathrow (LHR) route starting November 3, 2024, on select dates in November and December, Aeroroutes reported.
The A350-1000 will have 12% of its capacity dedicated to business class (J), higher than the A350-900 (9%), 777-300ER (9%), 787-8 (9%), 787-9 (10%), and 777-200LR (11%), Dr. James Pearson shared this data on LinkedIn.
The current 348-seat A350-900, serving Heathrow from October 27, 2024, will continue showing staggered Cloud Nine seating. Business class (J) seats will increase from 30 to 46 (+53%), and economy (Y) will rise from 318 to 349 (+10%).
It’s unclear if the A350-1000 will fully replace the A350-900 for daily flights.
According to Planespotters.net data, the airline operates fleet of 135 aircraft, majority of them are widebody and includes 20 Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
Ethiopian Airlines deploys its Airbus A350 fleet to 29 destinations from its expanding Addis Ababa hub last year.
The A350 serves 14 African destinations, including major cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Kinshasa. In Europe, the aircraft will operate on 10 routes, connecting Addis Ababa with key hubs such as London Heathrow, Paris CDG, and Frankfurt. Dublin is excluded from this count as it serves only as a technical stop.
The Middle East see A350 service to Dubai and Jeddah, while in Asia, the aircraft will fly to Beijing and Shanghai. In North America, Toronto receive A350 flights, with a refueling stop in Dublin on the outbound journey.
Ethiopian Airlines’ A350 emerges as the carrier’s primary aircraft for European routes and holds a slight edge over the 787-8 as the leading widebody for intra-African operations.
Passenger Traffic Growth
The UK CAA reports that Ethiopian Airlines carried 19,424 roundtrip passengers from Heathrow in July 2024, filling 91% of its 21,266 available seats.
Booking data indicates that 71% of passengers (about 13,800) connected to another flight in Addis Ababa. Harare was the top connecting destination, followed by Hargeisa, Mombasa, Lagos (despite longer routes due to lower fares), and Blantyre.
Recently, Ethiopian, the largest airline in Africa, celebrated its 78th anniversary on April 8, 2024, showcasing its enduring legacy of resilience and innovation dating back to 1946.
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