Aviation

Ethiopian Airlines: ‘No survivors’ on crashed Boeing 737

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An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 crashed on Sunday morning its way from Addis Ababa to Nairobi with 157 people believed to be on board, Ethiopian Airlines said. Ethiopia’s state broadcaster said there were no survivors.

Ethiopian airline CEO at crash scenes

“We hereby confirm that our scheduled flight ET 302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi was involved in accident today,” the airline said in a statement

“It is believed that there were 149 passengers and eight crew on board the flight but we are currently confirming the details of the passenger manifest for the flight.”

Broadcaster EBC said there were passengers from 33 countries. According to CCTV, several Chinese were on board.

The foreign ministry in Beijing said on social media that its embassies in Ethiopia and Kenya have started emergency procedures to verify whether any Chinese citizens were on the plane.

The state-owned Ethiopian Airlines, widely considered the best-managed airline in Africa, calls itself Africa’s largest carrier and has ambitions of becoming the gateway to the continent.

Records show the plane was new. According to Planespotters civil aviation database, the Boeing 737-800 MAX was delivered in mid-November.

It would also set up a passenger information centre and a dedicated telephone number for family and friends of people who may have been on the flight.

The Boeing 737-800 MAX is the same type of plane as the Indonesian Lion Air jet that crashed last October, 13 minutes after take-off from Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board.

The last major accident involving an Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane was a Boeing 737-800 that exploded after taking off from Lebanon in 2010, killing 83 passengers and seven crew.

Ethiopian Airlines has been expanding assertively, recently opening a route to Moscow and in January inaugurating a new passenger terminal in Addis Ababa to triple capacity.

Speaking at the inauguration, the prime minister challenged the airline to build a new “Airport City” terminal in Bishoftu – where Sunday’s crash occurred.

Source : southern China morning post in additional press source

The Office of the PM, on behalf of the Government and people of Ethiopia, would like to express it’s deepest condolences to the families of those that have lost their loved ones on Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 on regular scheduled flight to Nairobi, Kenya this morning.
— Office of the Prime Minister – Ethiopia (@PMEthiopia) March 10, 2019

Aviation

Boeing Faces New Setbacks as 777X Delays Extend and scraps B767-300F

Boeing’s challenges continue as employees halted production due to a strike, creating new obstacles for delivering aircraft to customers. The company now faces financial losses from delays in the delivery of its boeing 777x aircraft.

Boeing recently announced that the new delivery date for the 777-9 will be in 2026, with the freighter variant scheduled for 2028. This news has been frustrating for airlines that have committed to and are waiting for the aircraft.

Mega Comparison of Boeing 777x vs A350-1000 Aircraft

The Boeing 777X program, which began in early 2019, was initially delayed to 2021 due to COVID-19 disruptions. Subsequent issues, including defects found during testing, have placed the program under scrutiny by the FAA, which insists on the aircraft meeting all safety standards before entering service. Boeing is now facing pressure from both airlines and investors.

Boeing 777x Delay

New Commercial Airplanes expects to incur pre-tax charges of $3.0 billion related to the Boeing 777X and 767 programs.

The company forecasts a $2.6 billion pre-tax charge due to the updated timeline, which accounts for delays in flight testing for the 777-9 and the impact of the IAM (International Association of Machinists) work stoppage. The first 777-9 delivery is now expected in 2026, with the 777-8 freighter following in 2028.

Exploring the Boeing 777x: Highlights from the Debut at …

In addition, Boeing plans to conclude production of the 767 freighter, resulting in a $0.4 billion pre-tax charge. From 2027 onwards, the company will solely produce the 767-2C aircraft for the KC-46A Tanker program.

In August 2024, Boeing grounded its 777X test fleet after detecting a failure in a key engine mounting structure during a routine inspection. The new boeing 777x, powered by the GE9X engine, is the world’s largest and most efficient twin-engine jet, but this issue has caused further setbacks.

Boeing 777x, A close-up of the engine, landing gear, and wing

Comparison of 777x vs A350

Meanwhile, the Airbus A350 continues to secure new orders from airlines, becoming a strong competitor in the wide-body aircraft segment. While the a350 vs b777 offer similar ranges, the 777X is designed to carry a heavier payload.

In other developments, Boeing has hinted at starting production of a new mid-sized aircraft, the Boeing 797, which would likely compete with the Airbus A321 XLR.