Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics Services has committed to lease two Boeing 737-800 Freighters from GECAS, which will have joined the fleet by January 2019.
The aircraft will be converted by Aeronautical Engineers (AEI) and leased from GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), with the first delivery expected in June 2018, and the second following in January 2019.
The AEI converted freighter accommodates 11 full height containers plus one AEP/AEH, a main deck payload of up to 23.6 tonnes and has AEI’s hydraulically operated cargo door.
Ethiopian Airlines Group chief executive officer, Tewolde Gebremariam says: “The aircraft will be a great complement to our existing fleet of B777 and B757 freighters.
In line with our Vision 2025 Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics strategic roadmap, we are expanding our cargo fleet and network to support trade within Africa and with the rest of the world by facilitating the export of perishables and the import of high value goods into the continent.”
GECAS senior vice president and manager of the cargo aircraft group, Richard Greener says: “We have been working with AEI on this program since 2015 and look forward to delivering the first AEI converted 737-800SF to Ethiopian Airlines.
The airline is joining a growing number of combination carriers planning to operate this aircraft either for replacement of aging freighters or for growth.”
Ethiopian Cargo has a fleet of six 777 Freighters and two 757 Freighters serving 39 cargo destinations in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the Americas and Europe.
