Ethiopian Airlines expands freighter network with Miami service

Aug 31, 2018: Ethiopian Airlines has launched first of the two weekly freighter flights on August 29 between Addis Ababa and Miami, creating the first-ever cargo-only route between the African continent and Miami International Airport (MIA). The airline will deploy B777-200LRF freighter aircraft on the route.

The scheduled flights will operate on a route that includes intermediate stops in Spain, Colombia and Belgium on inbound and outbound services.

“We look forward to the additional revenue, jobs and business ties these new flights will bring to our community,” said Carlos A Gimenez, Miami-Dade County Mayor.

“We are very pleased to see Zaragoza, Miami, and Bogota joining our fast expanding freighter network in the Americas. With the new service, Ethiopian will carry Inditex high-end textile products from Zaragoza to the Americas,” said Tewolde GebreMariam, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines.

During 2017, TACA Peru began four weekly freighter flights from five South American cities; Mexico-based Aeronaves TSM commenced 10 weekly freighter flights from Cancun; and Qatar Airways launched two weekly cargo flights from Doha, with intermediate stops in Luxembourg, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Quito, and Liege. In 2018, Southern Air began weekly all-cargo service from Hong Kong via Anchorage; Turkish Cargo launched a second weekly frequency from Istanbul; and Polar Air Cargo launched direct Tokyo freighter service.

“We applaud Ethiopian Airlines for bringing us MIA’s first cargo destination in Africa,” said Lester Sola, director, Miami-Dade Aviation. “Our unrivalled position as the international cargo capital of the US and the gateway of the Americas continues to attract new service from key markets in Europe, the Middle East, and now, one of the busiest air cargo hubs in Africa.”