$55 Million E-commerce Cargo Center Unveiled at Addis Ababa International Airport

Ethiopian Airlines has opened a new e-commerce cargo center at Addis Ababa International Airport, Africa’s largest cargo operations airport. The new facility is located inside the Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics premises and is dedicated to serve various purposes. This include the delivery of couriers, mail, and e-commerce goods. Furthermore the new center will connect various destinations and position Addis Ababa as the cross-border e-commerce logistics hub. It will serve as a modern e-commerce hub for Africa and other continents across the world. The Addis Ababa International Airport runs the largest cargo operations through its passenger aircraft. It also is the largest operations hub in Africa that runs freight cargo for its dedicated freighters. Ethiopian airlines is opening a new facility as it seeks to enhance how e-commerce goods are transport. It also aims to expand the delivery of these goods around the continent.

The Significance of the E-commerce Cargo Center at the Addis Ababa International Airport

The unveil of the new e-commerce cargo center at the Addis Ababa International Airport has enough capacity to handle 330.7 million lb (150,000 tons) of cargo annually. According to the carrier, this is a $55 million investment, which sets Africa’s e-commerce industry on a path to follow global trends. The airline will pave way for developing e-commerce services around the continent as well as in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Airlines group CEO Ato Mesfina Tasew highlighted the importance of the new facility. He insighted that the inauguration of the e-commerce logistics facility is a significant breakthrough for Ethiopian Airlines Group and the entire African economy. “ We have implemented high-end technologies in the infrastructure that revolutionize the way goods are transported and delivered in the e-commerce industry in Africa. Through this facility, Ethiopian Airlines paves the way for the development of e-commerce services in Ethiopia and the African continent,” he said.

The Uniqueness of the E-commerce Cargo Center

The e-commerce center at the Addis Ababa International airport will feature a state-of-the-art technology and industry specific systems. This will facilitate in offering various aspects of handling cargo such as consolidation and de-consolidation. It will also immensely facilitate in sortation, repackaging, and labeling services. Ethiopian Airlines currently has a modern warehouse facility as its hub. The warehouse facility has a storage capacity of 2.53 billion Ibs which is equivalent to 1.15 million tonnes. The unveiling of the new e-commerce cargo center is in line with its long-term strategy where it aims to double its fleet by 2035. Currently, Ethiopian Airlines is already Africa’s largest carrier by fleet size.

The State of the Region On the Unveil of the E-commerce Cargo Center

The Ethiopian government is pleased with the unveiling of the new e-commerce cargo center at the Addis Ababa International Airport. The inauguration the new cargo facility comes in two weeks after a new airmail agreement was signed with the South African Post Office (SAPO). The partnership is essential as it will allow SAPO to receive and deliver mail from China through Ethiopian Airlines cargo network. Under the agreement, it is expected that Ethiopian Airlines will deliver mail four times a week to Addis Ababa International Airport for distribution around the continent. This includes African countries except for those sharing a border with South Africa, like Zimbabwe and Botswana, where mail will continue to be delivered by road.