Ethiopian Airlines has landed Africa’s largest passenger jet on South African soil, touching down at Cape Town International Airport with the Africa’s first Airbus A350-100.
This signals a transformative leap in southern Africa’s long-haul connectivity.
The 74-meter twinjet, carrying 387 passengers from Addis Ababa, taxied past Table Mountain’s mist-shrouded peaks as aviation officials and tourism leaders gathered on the tarmac to witness history.
“This is the single most significant aircraft deployment on our runway since the Boeing 747 era,” Cape Premier Alan Winde declared.
The arrival marks Ethiopian’s aggressive response to surging demand on Africa’s busiest intercontinental corridor.
The airline has immediately activated double daily A350-1000 rotations between Cape Town and its Addis Ababa hub.
Aviation experts say this represents a forty-percent capacity surge over previous Dreamliner services.
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“This isn’t just about bigger planes,” explained Captain Tewodros Bekele during post-flight remarks.
“It’s about smarter connectivity, linking the Winelands directly to 65 African destinations beyond our hub without European stopovers, while burning 15 percent less fuel per passenger than previous generation aircraft.”
