Ethiopian signs agreement to operate 3 freighter routes between Chongqing and Addis Ababa

May 02, 2019: Ethiopian Airlines, Port and Logistics Administration Office of Chongqing Municipal Government and Chongqing Airport Group have signed a cooperation agreement to launch scheduled freighter operations between Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and Chongqing in China. The proposed three new routes established by this agreement will expand on China’s already growing “Belt and Road” initiative, while also supporting Ethiopian’s efforts to grow its cargo operations.

The contract, signed on April 27 in Beijing, will open regular cargo flights to Addis Ababa from Chongqing as early as from June this year. The three routes include Chongqing-Addis Ababa, Chongqing-Dubai-Addis Ababa, and Chongqing-New Delhi-Addis Ababa.

After reaching Addis Ababa, the freighters will be bound for Sao Paulo in Brazil and Santiago in Chile with the same flight numbers. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), these new routes will be the longest regular freighter flights connecting Asia, Africa and South America, which it sees as the three continents with the most potential for development.

The freighters will transport laptops, mobile phones and other products made in Chongqing to the Middle East, India, Africa, and South America to meet the local demands. Return flights to China from South America and Africa are expected to carry perishable products, such as agricultural produce and seafood, for which Chongqing Airport Group and Chongqing Port and Logistics Office guaranteed to provide “one-hour customs clearance,” and multimodal access to the rest of China via truck and air networks.