Boeing and Ethiopian Airlines announced yesterday Africa's largest carrier ordered nine B-787 Dreamliner airplanes as demand for long-haul travel continues to rise. It will leverage the B-787/9 jets to grow its route network, which currently serves 145 international destinations.

The airline's latest 787 purchase follows its commitment for 11 B-737 MAX jets announced at the "Dubai Airshow" (see AVIONEWS). Both orders were finalized in December 2025 and boosts Ethiopian Airlines' order book by a total of 20 fuel-efficient Boeing airplanes.

Ethiopian Airlines operates Africa's largest 787 Dreamliner fleet, flying its B-787/8 and /9 jets on intercontinental routes from Addis Ababa to high-demand destinations across Europe, Asia and North America as well as key intra-African routes spanning the world's second-largest continent.

Since 2011, the B-787 Dreamliner family has helped airlines open more than 520 new nonstop routes between city pairs that were never previously served and carried more than 1 billion passengers.

The carrier operates the largest Boeing airplane fleet in Africa and has the continent's largest backlog of B-737 MAXs, B-777X and B-787 Dreamliner aircraft.