Last weekend, I reported that the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA) had published content on social media providing some details from a discussion with Russia that could involve a wet-lease deal with Ethiopian Airlines (ET). Crucially, Ethiopian Airlines' fleet is modern and composed of Western-made jets that Russia no longer has access to given US and EU sanctions. After my report came out, the ECAA deleted the post. It seems that information might not have been theirs to share. Someone messed up.
Since then, Ethiopian Airlines has rejected all notions of a wet-lease deal with Russia. As reported by the Addis Standard from Ethiopian Airlines' 2024 results press conference, CEO Mesfin Tasew described the allegations as being "completely false." No truth to the matter