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Higher demand on Addis Windhoek route prompts Ethiopian Airlines to send their biggest aircraft on its maiden flight

Higher demand on Addis Windhoek route prompts Ethiopian Airlines to send their biggest aircraft on its maiden flight

Hosea Kutako International Airport was a hive of activity on Sunday when Ethiopian Airlines sent its newly acquired Boeing 787-900 on its maiden flight to Windhoek from Addis Ababa due to the increased number of passengers who travelled to Namibia on this specific flight.

Mesfin Gebre, Ethiopian Airlines’ Area Manager for Namibia, told the Economist they had to use their new 787-900 as the number of passengers exceeded 270 which is the maximum for the 787-800, the airliner that the airline usually deploys for the regular, scheduled flight from Addis to Windhoek. The 787-900 carries a maximum of 313 passengers. It left later that same day to return to Addis with the passengers it picked up at Hosea Kutako.

This was also the first time that a B787-900 Dreamliner has landed at Windhoek’s international airport. The aircraft was welcomed with the customary water salute from the canons of the fire fighting transports of the Namibia Airports Company, stationed at Hosea Kutako.

Gebre said Ethiopian Airlines’ new 787-900 is the only one of its kind on the African continent. “Ushering yet another travel experience, Ethiopian Airlines, the largest Aviation Group and Skytrax certified Four Star Airline in Africa, has continued its technology leadership; owning and operating the one and only Africa’s B787-9 Dreamliner aircraft to different African cities,” he said.

 

Explaining the hype around the 787-900, Gebre said it features the latest aerodynamic design and materials. “Much of the aircraft’s structure is made of light-weight carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP). It is powered by new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines. These advanced technological features translate into unrivalled levels of operational efficiency, with a 20% reduction in fuel burn and emissions in addition to significantly lower maintenance costs.”

The wingspan of the 787-900 is slightly longer for more fuel storage space which increases its endurance, making it ideal for longer range missions. The fuselage is some 6 metres longer than the 787-800 allowing room for 40 more passengers.

These features make the 787-900 more economical to operate, stated Gebre adding that their 787-900 Dreamliner is configured to offer 30 Cloud Nine business class seats and 283 economy class seats.


 

About The Author

Daniel Steinmann

Educated at the University of Pretoria: BA (hons), BD. Postgraduate degrees in Philosophy and Divinity. Publisher and Editor of the Namibia Economist since February 1991. Daniel Steinmann has steered the Economist as editor for the past 32 years. The Economist started as a monthly free-sheet, then moved to a weekly paper edition (1996 to 2016), and on 01 December 2016 to a daily digital newspaper at www.economist.com.na. It is the first Namibian newspaper to go fully digital. He is an authority on macro-economics having established a sound record of budget analysis, strategic planning and assessing the impact of policy formulation. For eight years, he hosted a weekly talk-show on NBC Radio, explaining complex economic concepts to a lay audience in a relaxed, conversational manner. He was a founding member of the Editors' Forum of Namibia. Over the years, he has mentored hundreds of journalism students as interns and as young professional journalists. From time to time he helps economics students, both graduate and post-graduate, to prepare for examinations and moderator reviews. He is the Namibian respondent for the World Economic Survey conducted every quarter for the Ifo Center for Business Cycle Analysis and Surveys at the University of Munich in Germany. Since October 2021, he conducts a weekly talkshow on Radio Energy, again for a lay audience. On 04 September 2022, he was ordained as a Minister of the Dutch Reformed Church of Africa (NHKA). Send comments or enquiries to [email protected]