Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest airline, and its partner Boeing announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Its intent is to purchase five Boeing 777-8 Freighters. This one is the newest aircraft in the fuel-efficient freighter market compared to its predecessors.
The MoU to order the new Boeing freighter will enable Ethiopian Airlines to meet growing global cargo demand from its hub in Addis Ababa (ADD). At the same time, it will allow to position the airline for long-term sustainable growth.
CEO words
«In our 2035 vision, we are planning to expand our Cargo & Logistics business to become one of the largest global providers of multimodal logistics across all continents. To this effect, we are increasing our fleet of state-of-the-art, fuel-efficient, and environmentally friendly dedicated Freighters» said Tewolde Gebremariam, Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines Group.
«The new Boeing 777-8 Freighters will be instrumental in this long growth agenda journey. Today, our air cargo services cover more than 120 international destinations worldwide with dedicated hold capacity and cargo services» added Gebremariam.
In January of this year, Boeing launched the new Boeing 777-8 Freighter. So far 34 firm orders have been placed for this new model in the 777X family. With a payload capacity almost identical to the Boeing 747-400F and a 30% improvement in fuel efficiency, emissions, and operating costs.
Ethiopian Airlines currently has a fleet of new Boeing 777Fs connecting Africa to more than 40 cargo hubs in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. This is in addition to a fleet of three Boeing 737-800Fs and is awaiting the cargo conversion of several Boeing 767-300ER aircraft.
See also: Ethiopian Airlines and Boeing sign strategic MoU to create largest aviation hub in Africa
The cargo business has been one of the pillars for Ethiopian Airlines during the health crisis. According to reports from the Association of African Airlines (AFRAA) in 2020, the company mobilized more than 500,000 tons of cargo and has also transported more than 50 million vaccines to more than 28 countries.
