Ethiopian Airlines has undergone impressive expansion in recent years, and is today the largest airline in Africa, with a total fleet of 130 aircraft. From its hub at Bole International Airport (ADD) in Addis Ababa, the Star Alliance member operates a mixture of narrowbody and widebody aircraft to over 80 countries worldwide.

The average age of Ethiopian Airlines’ fleet is 10.9 years old, according to data from ch-aviation.com. For comparison, Egyptair, the second-largest African carrier also has an average fleet age of 10.9 years old, and for Royal Air Maroc, the continent’s third-largest airline, the figure stands at 13.5 years old.

The airline's oldest passenger aircraft

The oldest single passenger aircraft currently in Ethiopian Airlines’ fleet is a 19.2-year-old Boeing 737-700, registered at ET-ALK. The aircraft was delivered new to the airline in November 2003, and seats a total of 118 passengers in a two-class configuration – 102 in economy class and 16 in business class. ET-ALK regularly flies to regional destinations, and in the past week has been to the likes of Dar Es Salaam (DAR), Juba (JUB), and Khartoum (KRT).

Ethiopian Airlines’ next oldest passenger aircraft is ET-ALP, a Boeing 767-300ER, coming in at 17.6 years old. ET-ALP is the airline’s last remaining passenger Boeing 767-300ER, and is due to be retired from passenger service by the end of January 2023 and converted to a freighter. Until then it will continue to operate to a variety of destinations, including Bangui (BGF), Dhaka (DAC), and Djibouti (JIB).

The airline’s oldest turboprop aircraft is a Dash 8-Q400, registered as ET-ANI, which is 13 years old. The average age of the rest of Ethiopian Airlines’ Dash 8-Q400 fleet is, however, relatively young at just 6.7 years old.

Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 777-200LR
Photo: Croatorum | Shutterstock

The oldest aircraft type

If looking at the oldest aircraft type in Ethiopian Airlines’ passenger fleet, rather than at individual aircraft, the Boeing 737-700 also comes out on top, with an average age of 17.4 years old. The carrier currently has five active Boeing 737-700s in its fleet.

Next in line is the Boeing 777-200LR, which has an average age of 11.5 years old. There are six Boeing 777-200LRs in Ethiopian Airlines’ fleet, the oldest (ET-ANN) being 12.2 years old. Each aircraft seats a total of 315 passengers in a two-class configuration – 287 in economy class and 28 in business class. Despite its long-range capabilities, ET-ANN has primarily operated short to medium-haul flights over the past week, including the airline’s one-stop service to Dakar (DSS) via Bamako (BKO), according to data from FlightRadar24.com.

The third-oldest aircraft type in Ethiopian Airlines’ passenger fleet is the Boeing 787-8, of which the carrier has 19. Their average age is 8.5 years old, with the airline receiving delivery of its first Boeing 787-8 in July 2013.

Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787-8
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Check out more African aviation news here

The oldest of them all – a cargo Boeing 737-800

However, by far the oldest of Ethiopian Airlines’ 130 aircraft is a cargo Boeing 737-800 (ET-AVX), which is 23.9 years old. The aircraft was first delivered to Air Berlin in 1999, and later operated for Corendon Airlines before being converted to a freighter aircraft and joining the Ethiopian Airlines fleet in 2019.

Have you flown on one of Ethiopian Airlines’ oldest aircraft? How did the inflight experience compare to the airlines’ newer aircraft? Let us know by commenting below.

  • Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787-8
    Ethiopian Airlines
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    ET/ETH
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Addis Ababa Bole International Airport
    Year Founded:
    1945
    Alliance:
    Star Alliance
    CEO:
    Mesfin Tasew Bekele
    Country:
    Ethiopia