Ethiopian Airlines has completed retro-fitting all Boeing 777 passenger aircraft with a fully flat business class bed.
The retro-fitted B777s with the new fully flat business class seats are expected to enhance passenger comfort and improve the Ethiopian product.
The retro-fitting project on the Ethiopian B777 aircraft, was conducted at Ethiopian’s own MRO facility.
Zodiac Northwest Aerospace Technologies (ZNAT), ZSUK(Zodiac Seats UK) and Thales are the vendors involved in the project.
Ethiopian has both 777-300ER and 777-200LR aircraft.
Commenting on the new seats , Zemene Nega, Vice President, MRO, Ethiopian Airlines Group, said:
We are pleased to successfully complete the retrofitting project on our B777 fleet with our in-house capability which is a testament of Ethiopian self-sufficiency in trained aviation professionals. We have made huge investments to accomplish the renovation project which encompasses; modifying seats to full flat laying positions, rearranging passenger service, rework on IFE and software change. It is yet another breakthrough to further enhance our business class passengers’ satisfaction and offer superior travel experience.
Ato Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO Ethiopian Airlines said:
“I would like to congratulate our MRO team for the outstanding performance and for the job well done. On the other hand we are very pleased to provide our passengers with the best on-board experience especially on our long-haul routes. Ethiopian Airlines has made the choice of purchasing the 180°flat business class seats because of the enhanced customer satisfaction they bring. Our business passengers will be able to sleep and arrive fresh to their destinations fully rested and ready to take on business after a good night’s sleep.
About Ethiopian
Ethiopian Airlines is the flag-carrier of Ethiopia. It is wholly Government owned.
Ethiopian is a pan-African global carrier with the youngest fleet on the continent.
It operates a mainly Boeing fleet and has these aircraft types either in service or on order:
- A350-900
- B737-700
- B737-800
- B737 Max8
- B757-200
- B767-300ER
- B777-200LR
- B777-300ER
- B787-8
- Bombardier Dash 8 Q400
The average age of the fleet is less than seven years.
As of January 2015, Ethiopian Airlines is the largest African carrier in terms of fleet size
The airline flies to more than 91 international destinations.
N.B. Image credit: ethiopianairlines.com