Ethiopian Airlines is looking to order at least 20 regional or small narrow-body jets as it moves to expand its domestic fleet and replace some ageing aircraft.

"We are evaluating three aircraft models, the E-2 from Embraer, the A220 from Airbus (AIR.PA), opens new tab, and the 737 MAX 7 from Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab," CEO Mesfin Tasew Bekele said in an interview with Reuters on Monday.

According to the executive, the final order quantity will depend on the type chosen, he added. Boeing's 737 MAX 7, which has a larger seating capacity and sits at the bottom of a larger category than the Airbus A220 and Embraer E-2, is yet to be certified.

Africa's largest carrier by passengers carried, destinations served, fleet size, and revenue, and one of the fastest-growing airline brands in the world is experiencing strong travel demand but has been limited by jet delivery delays and the grounding of some aircraft due to engine shortages stemming from supply chain disruptions.

"We are receiving airplanes from both Boeing and Airbus, but deliveries have been delayed, some by three months, some six months, some more," Bekele said on the sidelines of an annual IATA meeting of global airline leaders.

Additionally, the Ethiopian airlines is among several facing grounded aircraft due to bottlenecks in engine maintenance parts. Ethiopian has three Boeing 787 widebody jets grounded due to a shortage of Rolls-Royce engines, with five turboprop aircraft out of service due to a shortage of RTX's Pratt & Whitney engines.

"Normally engines were supposed to be repaired and returned in three months typically, but now it takes six months or even more to get them repaired and returned," the airline’s CEO said.

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