On Monday an exclusive interview with Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam aired on NBC News. The statement that made the headlines was that Gebremariam “cannot fully say that the airplane will fly back on Ethiopian Airlines.”“At this stage I cannot, I cannot fully say that the airplane will fly back on Ethiopian Airlines. So it takes a lot of efforts to convince everybody that the airplane is safe…But beyond that, I think we have to convince ourselves and we want to do that.”The current Ethiopian fleetCurrently, the Ethiopian Airlines fleet mainly consists of Boeing aircraft. The alternativesIf Ethiopian Airlines chooses to abandon the 737MAX, some comparable options exist but have their consequences:737-800: Similar size (slightly less capacity), less fuel efficient than MAX equivalents.. Earning back the trust of the traveling public – especially families of the victims and the millions who fly Ethiopian Airlines is the big, intangible challenge.

Source: Ethiopian News May 14, 2019 17:26 UTC