Airline bets on Sino-African trade ties

Ethiopian Airlines is expanding its cargo network and airport partnerships in China, as it bets on growing China-Africa trade, rising cross-border e-commerce and Beijing's expanded zero-tariff access for African imports to sustain long-term freight growth, company executives told China Daily.

China, Africa's largest trading partner, has become the airline's top strategic cargo market globally, accounting for more than 40 percent of international transit cargo handled through its Addis Ababa hub, Dereje Derero, managing director of cargo and logistics services at Ethiopian Airlines, said in an interview.

"The Chinese market has the highest strategic priority in our global cargo business over the next three to five years," Derero said.

The strategic expansion comes as China deepens economic ties with Africa. Since May 1, China has extended zero-tariff treatment to all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations, widening a policy previously limited to the continent's least-developed economies.

China's commerce ministry said in a statement that the zero-tariff policy is intended to boost African exports, encourage investment in Africa and make China-Africa trade more balanced and sustainable. Bilateral trade reached a record $348 billion in 2025, according to China's General Administration of Customs.

Derero said the policy is a catalyst for rebalancing two-way cargo flows, which have traditionally been dominated by Chinese exports to Africa.

"The zero-tariff policy will help generate more return cargo from Africa, improve aircraft utilization and increase demand for cold-chain transport of products such as Ethiopian coffee, flowers and fresh produce," he said.

Cross-border e-commerce has become the fastest-growing category of Chinese exports to Africa, with shipment volumes rising by more than 20 percent from a year earlier, while exports of new energy products and infrastructure equipment are also supporting freight demand, he added.

Chinese e-commerce platforms such as Temu and SHEIN are expanding rapidly across Africa, creating sustained demand for air freight through Ethiopian Airlines' cargo gateways in Shenzhen and Guangzhou in Guangdong province and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Derero said.

The airline currently operates a fleet of 20 freighters, including Boeing 777, 767 and 737 cargo aircraft, and serves 11 cargo destinations across China, with some routes operating five to seven freighter flights per week. To boost capacity, the carrier signed a lease agreement earlier this year with aircraft lessor AerCap for two Boeing 777-300ERSF converted freighters, due for delivery in 2028.

Despite a normalization in freight rates from the COVID-19 pandemic highs, Derero said global freighter capacity remained structurally tight because of persistent airspace disruptions in the Middle East as well as higher fuel costs.

General cargo rates between China and Africa have largely returned to pre-pandemic levels, although e-commerce shipments, cold-chain cargo and time-sensitive goods continue to command premium pricing, he said.

During last week's Transport Logistic Shanghai exhibition in Shanghai, Africa's largest airline by fleet and network signed cooperation agreements with airport operators in Guangzhou in Guangdong province, Ezhou in Hubei province and Zhengzhou in Henan province, and held discussions with authorities in Chengdu in Sichuan province to explore potential China-Africa cargo links.

Girum Abebe, country director of Ethiopian Airlines China, said the airline was exploring the launch of a direct freighter route linking Southwest China with Africa as it expands cooperation with Chinese airports and local governments.

lijing2009@chinadaily.com.cn