Ethiopian Airlines has launched a new freighter service between Chengdu, China and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, creating the first direct all-cargo air link between Chengdu and Africa.
The airline announced the launch on LinkedIn, saying the new connection will support trade and economic exchanges between Southwest China and Africa.
According to Xinhua, an Ethiopian Airlines ET3005 freighter from Addis Ababa landed at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport on August 28, marking the opening of Chengdu’s first direct all-cargo route to Africa.
The Chengdu-Addis Ababa service will be operated with Boeing 777F freighters. It will initially operate twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays. The frequency is planned to increase to four flights a week through capacity optimisation.
Tang Ruibo, general manager of Ethiopian Airlines’ China operations, said the service will use the airline’s Addis Ababa hub to distribute cargo from Chengdu to key cities across 54 African countries. These destinations include Lagos, Accra, Dakar, Entebbe and Lubumbashi.
The airline said the new air link will provide a direct cargo connection between Southwest China and Africa and support trade between the two regions.
This article was originally published on Logistics Update Africa.
