Ethiopian Airlines’ decision to temporarily convert 25 passenger aircraft for cargo operations has helped it to become “cash positive” during the Covid-19 crisis, according to the African carrier’s chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam. “We’ve shown agility, speed of decision-making and resilience, and that has helped us.”Those 25 “make-shift” cargo aircraft are operating alongside the Addis Ababa-based carrier’s 10 Boeing 777-200Fs and two 737-800SFs. Ethiopian has previously confirmed that the converted aircraft include five 737-800s, five Dash 8-Q400s, four Airbus A350-900s, four 777-300ERs, two 767-300ERs and two 787-9s. Crucially, however, it has maintained “close to 50 cargo services a week” to China, Gebremariam says, transporting “industrial products, industrial goods, mobile phones, IT equipment”, alongside medical products. Amid this demand for cargo operations, Ethiopian’s ’cash-positive’ situation contrasts sharply to that of the region’s wider airline sector, Gebremariam suggests.

Source: Ethiopian News February 12, 2021 13:18 UTC