Ethiopian Airlines has begun operating a cargo charter route from Macao International in China to Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport in Spain.
The flight was carried out using a Boeing 777 freighter and departed this morning, according to a story from China's state press agency Xinhua.
This new cargo route will initially operate twice a week, with exports including toys, small appliances, furniture, electronics, auto parts, clothing and cosmetics.
The new route is expected to bring over 20,000 tons of cross-border cargo throughput to Macao annually.
Ethiopian Airlines has previously launched cargo routes in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong.
In December, Ethiopian Airlines Group signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Xiamen Iport Group and a memorandum of understanding with China Henan Aviation Group (CHAG).
The airline's country director for China, Aman Wole Gurmu, noted the new route's potential to strengthen collaboration with e-commerce supply chains in the Greater Bay Area.
In January, Ethiopian Cargo added a new Boeing 777 freighter to its fleet to help it continue to grow global operations.
Data from Planespotters shows that the aircraft is Ethiopian’s 11th 777F and the airline’s fleet also currently includes four converted 737-800Fs; three converted 767-300Fs and two newbuild 767-300Fs, which were delivered in December.
Ethiopian Airlines serves 70 dedicated cargo and 140+ passenger destinations in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
