Addis Ababa 25 March 2021
On
this day last year, Ethiopian Airlines operated its first cargo only service on
a passenger
aircraft with its Boeing B787-900.
The flight departed on 25th of March 2020 from Addis Ababa to
Kinshasa carrying more than 16 tons of much-needed PPE and other shipments
inside the cabin and the belly of the aircraft. Following the sharp decline in
passenger number due to the pandemic, Ethiopian swiftly shifted focus to cargo
operations and became among the very few pioneers to load cargo on passenger
aircraft’s cabin.
Immediately
afterwards, Ethiopian demonstrated remarkable agility in its response to the
increased cargo demand in the wake of the pandemic by reconfiguring 25
passenger aircraft into freighters using its own internal MRO capabilities
and distributed the much-needed Personal Protective Equipment and medical
supplies across the globe.
A
year since its first Preighter operation, Ethiopian has operated 5,645 Cargo flights on the cabin of passenger
aircraft and transported more than 121,750
tons of cargo across its vast global network. The flights added an immense
value to the total of 33,182 flights
and 735,869 tons of cargo
transported during the period from March 25, 2020 to March 25,2021.
Commenting
on the milestone, Ethiopian Group CEO Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam said “Today marks one year since the beginning of
our first Preighter flight service as a way to manage the unprecedented global
crisis. The single Preighter flight that started on this day last year has
helped our airline navigate the storm so far. We are extremely honored to have
served our customers during the most difficult times. Ethiopian Cargo and
Logistics Services has been a critical player in the global fight against the
pandemic by distributing medical supplies and PPE to places with limited access
to transportation. “
Since
the start of its first cargo flight on passenger seat last year, Ethiopian has
been increasing its capacity to become an ideal shipment partner of many
humanitarian organizations including the WFP. Besides, Ethiopian has been
hailed for its efficient delivery of essential medical supplies donated by Alibaba
Foundation, WHO and donor governments to all African countries. The airline is
currently working in collaboration with UNICEF and Cainiao
for the global vaccine distribution.
About Ethiopian
Ethiopian
Airlines (Ethiopian) is the fastest growing Airline in Africa. In its seventy
plus years of operation, Ethiopian has become one of the continent’s leading
carriers, unrivalled in efficiency and operational success. Ethiopian commands
the lion’s share of the Pan-African passenger and cargo network operating the
youngest and most modern fleet to 127 international passenger and cargo
destinations across five continents. Ethiopian fleet includes ultra-modern and
environmentally friendly aircraft such as Airbus A350, Boeing 787-8, Boeing
787-9, Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 777-200LR, Boeing 777-200 Freighter, Bombardier
Q-400 double cabin with an average fleet age of five years. In fact, Ethiopian
is the first airline in Africa to own and operate these
aircraft. Ethiopian is currently implementing a 15-year strategic plan
called Vision 2025 that will see it become the leading aviation group in Africa
with Seven business units: Ethiopian International Services; Ethiopian Cargo
& Logistics Services; Ethiopian MRO Services; Ethiopian Aviation Academy;
Ethiopian ADD Hub Ground Services and Ethiopian Airports Services and Ethiopian
Express Services (Domestic). Ethiopian is a multi-award-winning airline
registering an average growth of 25% in the past seven years.
Email: CorporateCommunication@ethiopianairlines.com
Tel:
(251-11)517-8913/165/529/
Web: https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/et
Social
Media
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/flyethiopian
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/48846/admin/
Telegram: https://t.me/ethiopian_airlines
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