Ethiopian Airlines Group is close to agreeing a deal with Airbus SE for as many as 20 narrow-body A220 planes worth more than $1.6 billion, reviving an earlier plan after a spell using larger Boeing Co. 737s.
Africa’s biggest and most consistently profitable carrier is in late-stage talks about the purchase of the 100-seater aircraft, which should be completed by the end of the year, Chief Executive Officer Tewolde GebreMariam said in an interview at the state-owned airline’s head office in Addis Ababa.