Ethiopian Airlines is close to take a final decision on which aircraft variants to buy from Boeing and Airbus, as part of its fleet modernisation and expansion strategy.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that the African carrier is seeking to add approximately 70 new aircraft to its existing fleet in line with its efforts to build an East Africa aviation hub.
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Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam was quoted by the news agency as saying that the carrier intends to purchase 20 additional long-haul aircraft.
The deals could have a combined value of more than $11bn.
"A larger fleet is one of our pillars of growth," Gebremariam said.
He said that the carrier is considering buying a Boeing 777X or the A350-1000 in a deal, which would have a list price of $8bn.
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By GlobalDataIf the deal is finalised, Airbus is scheduled to begin A350-1000 deliveries in 2017, while the Boeing 777X is due for roll out later.
Gebremariam added that Ethiopian Airlines currently operates nine Boeing 787 Dreamliners and plans to buy at least 17 more, in addition to 13 aircraft that are already on order.
The Addis Ababa-based airline was also seeking to buy 30 737 Max or A320neo jetliners.
Gebremariam said that the deal will comprise 20 firm orders and ten options in a transaction worth approximately $3.4bn.
"Our location is our competitive advantage so we plan to continue our fast growth, but it has to be profitable," he added.
