Ethiopian Airlines, the largest carrier in Africa, recently launched new cargo flights between Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa and Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The route has become the first direct cargo route between Xinjiang and Africa to meet the growing demand of Sino-African trade.
The new cargo route, operated twice weekly by Boeing 777 Freighter, is expected to help strengthen Ethiopian Airlines’ footprint in western China and enable more efficient freight transportation and broader market access for exporters and importers, the carrier said.
The new route has helped build a high-speed transportation channel for Xinjiang’s high-quality fruits and vegetables, cold-water fish such as salmon, and other distinctive agricultural products to arrive in Africa and other global markets.
It also provides convenience for high-quality beef and mutton, premium coffee and unique horticultural products from Ethiopia and other African countries to enter the consumption market in western China and other parts of the country.
“China continues to be one of our most important markets, and this new route reaffirms our long-term partnership and vision for shared prosperity,” said Mesfin Tasew Bekele, group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines.
“The launch of our cargo service to Urumqi marks yet another significant step in strengthening our footprint in China and deepening air trade links between Asia and Africa. As a strategic gateway to western China, Urumqi opens new possibilities for cross-border commerce, supply chain efficiency and economic integration,” Bekele said.
The airline said this new service marks another milestone in its goal to strengthen Africa-Asia connectivity and further position Addis Ababa as a critical global cargo hub.
Moreover, with a complex and ever-changing global trade environment, expanding to new markets is crucial for the growth of China’s foreign trade.
China has been Africa’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years. Last year, bilateral trade reached $295.6 billion, up 4.8 percent year-on-year, setting a record high for the fourth consecutive year, said the Ministry of Commerce.
The launch of the new route has further strengthened Xinjiang’s position in the international logistics network as Urumqi serves as a gateway for China’s westward opening-up. Africa, as one of the fastest-growing continents in the global economy, has shown enormous market growth potential, the carrier said.
Urumqi is a key strategic node for Ethiopian Airlines to expand its network in western China, and this new route serves as a core measure for the airline to meet the growing trade demand between China and Africa and between Asia and Africa, the carrier said.
Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association recently released data for global air cargo markets in May. Total demand, measured in cargo ton-kilometers, rose by 2.2 percent year-on-year.
“Air cargo demand globally grew 2.2 percent in May. That is encouraging news as a 10.7 percent drop in traffic on the Asia to North America trade lane illustrated the dampening effect of shifting US trade policies,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general.
“Even as these policies evolve, already we can see the air cargo sector’s well-tested resilience helping shippers to accommodate supply chain needs to flexibly hold back, re-route or accelerate deliveries,” Walsh said.
Ethiopian Airlines currently operates over 190 weekly flights to 27 destinations across Asia, including 83 weekly flights to 11 cities in China. With a modern fleet and advanced temperature-controlled, tech-enabled cargo infrastructure, Ethiopian transports nearly 1 million tons of cargo annually across a global network of over 140 destinations.
This new service marks another milestone in Ethiopian’s mission to strengthen Africa–Asia connectivity and further position Addis Ababa as a critical global cargo hub.
