FILE PHOTO: The first Boeing 777 Freighter take off on its inaugural test flight at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, July 14, 2008. REUTERS/Robert Sorbo
March 10, 2022
(Reuters) – Ethiopian Airlines has emerged as the unidentified buyer of five Boeing current-generation 777 freighters reported this week, two people familiar with the matter said.
The order, posted as an unnamed airline in Boeing’s monthly orders update on Tuesday, is separate from a recently announced provisional agreement by Ethiopian for later deliveries of five of a successor model, the 777X freighter, also known as the 777-8.
Ethiopian ordered the current-generation 777 freighters to meet near-term cargo demand, the people said.
Boeing declined to comment. The airline did not respond to a request for comment.
It was not immediately clear whether the airline would press ahead with both sets of orders, but several airlines have been aggressively adding capacity to address a boom in cargo demand.
Ethiopian operates Africa’s largest cargo terminal from its Addis Ababa hub.
The International Air Transport Association said on Wednesday growth in demand had softened in January due in part to the impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
But supply chain disruptions which surfaced at the start of the pandemic recovery, and stoked air cargo demand, are still present.
(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson, Tim Hepher; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
