Ethiopian Airlines took delivery of its 25th Dash 8-400 turboprop from De Havilland Canada in late July 2019, receiving the milestone airframe with serial number 4600.
An Ethiopian Airlines De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 turboprop, October 2011 (Raimund Stehmann / Wikimedia Commons, GFDL) [file photo]
The handover was celebrated on July 26 at De Havilland's Toronto plant, where the Dash 8-400 is built. Serial 4600 was also the 600th Dash 8-400 produced there. Ethiopian later registered the aircraft as ET-AXE.
Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said the type's performance, capacity and comfort supported partnerships with African regional carriers and the group's growth strategy. He said Ethiopian would support its own and other regional fleets through its Authorized Service Facility and Dash 8-400 simulator.
De Havilland Canada COO Todd Young called Ethiopian the manufacturer's largest customer in Africa and said the delivery marked two milestones at once. Ethiopian Ambassador to Canada Nasise Challi Jira and Ontario officials attended with executives from Longview Aviation Capital, De Havilland's parent.
The Dash 8-400, also known as the Q400, is a twin-engine turboprop used on Ethiopian's shorter domestic and regional routes.
Sources: De Havilland Canada, Ethiopian Airlines, Ethiopian Monitor