Ethiopia: Airline buys 20 updated 737s

ETHIOPIAN Airlines Enterprise, Africa’s largest carrier by revenue, has agreed to buy 20 redesigned 737 models valued at $2.1 billion (R23bn) in the largest single order for Boeing planes from the continent. The order for the single-aisle Max 8, the first of four redesigned 737 models, came with an option for an extra 15 planes, the companies said at the weekend. The Boeing model would be a key component of the state-owned carrier’s 15-year plan to expand its business to carry 18 million passengers a year, chief executive Tewolde GebreMariam said during a tourism forum in Chicago. – Bloomberg