Ethiopian receives 3rd Boeing 777 freighter

Addis Ababa, November 6, 2014 (STAT):-Ethiopian Airlines, the largest cargo operator in Africa, received its third B777-200 LR Freighter on 3 November 2014.

Ethiopian was the first in Africa to receive the B777-200 LR freighter on 19 September 2012 and is still the only African operator of this modern aircraft. The aircraft, which has exceptional uplift, range, fuel efficiency and temperature control capabilities, is perfectly suited for the transport of Ethiopia’s growing export of perishables, such as fruits, flowers, vegetables and meat.

In line with its Vision 2025 strategic roadmap and its commitment to support the country’s export of perishables, Ethiopian is fast expanding its cargo fleet and infrastructure. The airline will phase in an additional B777-200 LR freighter before the end of 2014 and 2 more in 2015. It is also building a new cargo terminal with both cold and dry storage facilities, capable of handling 1.2 million tons of cargo annually, making it one of the biggest in the world.

“We are phasing in the most modern cargo aircraft such as the B777-200 LR freighter and building one of the largest cargo terminals in the world with the aim of expanding and improving our cargo service in support of our country’s and our continent’s growing imports and exports. The B777 Freighter is unmatched in its fleet category and will be deployed on existing and new long routes for carriage of flowers, fruits, vegetables and meat,” said Mr. Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO of Ethiopian.

Ethiopian Cargo, the largest cargo operator in Africa, currently flies to 24 freighter destinations in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe using 8 dedicated freighters, including wide-bodies such as the B777-200 LR and MD-11 aircraft.