Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics Services and Liege Airport have celebrated 17 years of successful partnership with both organisations reaffirming their commitment to boost freighter operations and strengthen their strategic alliance.

Over the past 17 years, Ethiopian Cargo has played a pivotal role in positioning Liege Airport as a leading cargo hub in Europe. In 2023, the airline uplifted approximately 160,000 tonnes of cargo from the airport, facilitating efficient and reliable transportation of goods between Europe, Africa, and the rest of the world.

Mesfin Tasew, Ethiopian Airlines Group chief executive, said: “This partnership has been instrumental in Ethiopian Cargo’s success as one of the global leaders in the air cargo industry.

Liege Airport provides us with a strategic location and world-class infrastructure, enabling us to offer our customers seamless and efficient cargo solutions.

“We are grateful to the management of Liege Airport and our stakeholders for the unwavering support we have been receiving for the 17 years.”

Laurent Jossart, chief executive of Liege Airport, said: “We are delighted with our long-term partnership with Ethiopian Cargo. Ethiopian is a magnificent success story and continues to grow here.

“The company links different continents with a fleet of state-of-the-art aircraft. Their Boeing 777s have an average age of seven years and are among the most efficient aircraft in terms of noise and environmental performance.

“We are honoured by Ethiopian’s confidence in Liege Airport, and we will always be at their side to help them in their development.”

Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics Services has operated cargo flights to and from Liege Airport since 2007. The airline operates approximately six freighter flights each day to Liege from its Addis Ababa hub and other origins operating with B777-200F and B767-300F.

Ethiopian Cargo continues to expand with plans to add Hyderabad and Ahmedabad from India to its cargo network, bringing the total dedicated freighter destinations to 70.

Furthermore, Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics Services envisions operating 90 dedicated freighter destinations by 2035, supported by a fleet of 37 dedicated freighters.