Ethiopian Airlines, which has Airbus A350XWBs and Boeing 787s on order, will soon release a tender for up to 15 narrowbody aircraft.

Speaking to ATI at the AFRAA annual general assembly in Maputo, Ethiopian Airlines chief Girma Wake said he would issue manufacturers with a tender "shortly". He adds that Ethiopian is looking to secure 10-15 aircraft.

Addis Ababa-based Ethiopian has undergone rapid expansion in recent years. It set an ambitious target of a $1 billion turnover by 2010, but this has already been met.

Wake says the airline's management is drafting a 15-year plan, which includes a $7 billion turnover target to be achieved by 2020. Wake says the details are yet to be finalised, but he notes that this figure is likely to go up, rather than down.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news