Ethiopian Airlines has opened a new e-commerce cargo center at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD). The new facility, located inside the Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics premises, is dedicated to mail, couriers, and e-commerce goods. The new center aims to connect various destinations and position Addis Ababa as the cross-border e-commerce logistics hub for Africa and other continents.
Ethiopian Airlines, which runs one of Africa’s largest cargo operations through its passenger aircraft and dedicated freighters, is looking to enhance how e-commerce goods are transported and delivered around the continent. The new facility sits on a 161,460 square-foot (15,000-square-meter) area, providing enough capacity to handle 330.7 million lb (150,000 tons) of cargo annually.
According to the carrier, this is a $55 million investment, which sets Africa’s e-commerce industry on a path to follow global trends. With the inauguration of the $55 million center, the airline will pave the way for developing e-commerce services in Ethiopia and around the continent. Highlighting the importance of the new facility, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Ato Mesfin Tasew said,
“The inauguration of this cutting-edge e-commerce logistics facility is a significant breakthrough for Ethiopian Airlines Group and the entire African economy. We have implemented high-end technologies in the infrastructure that revolutionize the way goods are transported and delivered in the e-commerce industry in Africa. Through this facility, Ethiopian Airlines paves the way for the development of e-commerce services in Ethiopia and the African continent.”
The facility features state-of-the-art technology and industry-specific systems, allowing it to offer consolidation, deconsolidation, sortation, repacking, and labeling services. The airline currently has a modern warehouse facility at its hub with a cargo storage capacity of 2.53 billion lbs (1.15 million tons).
It now plans to serve 78 passenger destinations across the continent.
Ethiopian Airlines is already Africa’s largest carrier by fleet size. Additionally, the airline launched a long-term strategy, aiming to nearly double its fleet by 2035. The company’s cargo division has a fleet of 17 aircraft comprising ten Boeing 777-200LRFs, three B767-300Fs, and four B737-800Fs. It has four more 777 freighters on order.
Photo: Simone Previdi | Shutterstock.
Last year, the carrier secured a $450 million loan for five aircraft, which includes two 777Fs. The airline’s cargo network covers over 135 international destinations with both belly-hold capacity and over 65 dedicated freighter services. In January, the airline added Casablanca (CMN) as its 35th cargo destination in Africa.
The inauguration of the new cargo facility comes about two weeks after Ethiopian Airlines signed a new airmail agreement with the South African Post Office (SAPO). The partnership will allow SAPO to deliver and receive mail from China through Ethiopian Airlines’ cargo network.
According to the Post Office, Ethiopian will deliver mail four times a week to Addis Ababa Airport for distribution around the continent. This includes African countries except for those sharing a border with South Africa, like Zimbabwe and Botswana, where mail will continue to be delivered by road.
Photo: Boeing
With this agreement, SAPO aimed to clear its backlog for transportation to China and its African destinations for February 2024. Last year, the post office partnered with Swiss Air for mail service to Europe and Japan, while Qantas handled mail destined for Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.
It also partners with Qantas to clear airmail to South East Asian countries, excluding China. “We are working to partner with an additional airline to handle the North American airmail demand. In the meantime, Ethiopian Airlines and Swiss Air will service this route, albeit with limited capacity,” said the Post Office’s business rescue practitioner, Anoosh Rooplal.
What are your thoughts on Ethiopian Airlines’ new cargo facility? Please let us know in the comments!
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