March 5 (Reuters) - Ethiopian Airlines has agreed to

purchase eight Boeing 777-9 passenger jets, with

potential for up to 12 additional aircraft orders, the companies

said in a statement on Tuesday.

Ethiopian Airlines' selection of 777-9 jets makes the

carrier the first 777X customer in Africa.

The agreement from the East African airline comes in

addition to its 2023 order of 11 787 Dreamliner and 20 737 MAX

jets.