Africa’s largest Boeing 787 operator is cashing in an option to add six more Dreamliners to its growing fleet as it seeks to expand its long-haul international flight offerings.
The widebodies, to be built in North Charleston, originally were part of what the U.S. planemaker called a “landmark” order that Ethiopia Airlines Group booked in 2023.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Deliveries of the South Carolina-made jets are scheduled to begin in 2028.
Ethiopian said in a written statement that it plans to use the new aircraft “to expand its intercontinental network … and increase cargo capacity as demand for long-haul travel continues to rise.”
The airline and the manufacturer held a signing ceremony near Washington, D.C. this week to mark the expanded 787 order.
The original deal was announced at the Dubai Airshow three years ago, when Ethiopian Airlines committed to buy 31 Boeing jets, including 11 Dreamliners. The airline, which is based in the capital city of Addis Ababa, bumped up its 787 order to 20 planes in January.
The new jets will fly within Africa and to overseas destinations in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
“There are mature routes we need,” Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mesfin Tasew told Reuters this week. “There are routes that we wanted to fly but we couldn’t do because of shortage of airplanes — like Australia.”
The carrier’s stable of 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft has grown to 30 since 2012, making it the biggest fleet on the world’s second-largest continent.
The Dreamliner has been built exclusively next to Charleston International Airport since early 2021. Boeing South Carolina plans to increase production to 10 planes a month from eight this year. The company also investing $1 billion to add a second assembly line and 1,000 jobs at the factory by 2028.
Airlines are still lining up to buy the 787 as demand for long-distance flights increases, though not at last year’s swift pace. Customers booked 50 Dreamliner orders in the first quarter, down from 57 the first three months of 2025, Boeing said in April 14.
The North Charleston program’s unfilled backlog as of March 31 totaled 1,109 airplanes, which would take more than 11 years to work through at the current production rate.
