‘’In line with our Diversified Aviation Business Model of Vision 2025, we have been developing our cargo capacity in fleet, ground service infrastructure, and cargo connectivity network,” Ethiopian Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer Mr Tewolde GebreMariam stated. As a result, we’re teaming with IAI, a global technological leader in the aerospace sector, to create a cargo conversion center in our Addis Ababa Airport MRO facilities. The Cargo Conversion Center will begin operations with three B767-300 aircraft owned by Ethiopian Airlines. The Cargo Conversion Centre at Addis Ababa International Airport will expand its services to include all African and regional airlines. We are very pleased to be able to cooperate with IAI to grow our cargo and logistics services, which are now the largest and most comprehensive in Africa. We will be able to increase our MRO services using cutting-edge technology and knowledge transfer as a result of the capacity building.”
“We are witnessing a substantial spike in the demand for cargo planes as a result of the rise in e-commerce, which rose to record levels during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Yossi Melamed, IAI’s Executive VP and General Manager of Aviation Group. IAI has a strong reputation as a passenger-to-freighter aircraft conversion center, and we are continually receiving requests to create such centers in new places across the world. I’m looking forward to the launch of the current center in Ethiopia, and I’d like to thank my colleagues at Ethiopian Airlines for putting their faith in IAI’s Aviation Group as the world’s leader in conversions.”
The new passenger-to-freighter conversion center, which will be based at Ethiopia’s MRO center in Addis Ababa, will address the growing demand for B767 cargo planes. The Ethiopian conversion line will be added to IAI’s current conversion sites at its Ben Gurion International Airport campus and in Mexico.
It should be remembered that Ethiopian MRO temporarily changed 25 of its passenger planes to freighters to increase cargo capacity when demand for emergency medical supplies skyrocketed.