The passenger-to-freighter conversion site will operate from Ethiopian’s maintenance centre in Addis Ababa and will join IAI’s network in Israel and Mexico.
The site, which has been approved by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency, will convert passenger aircraft into freighters, and also provide maintenance and overhaul, staff training and guidance, and certification services.
The first aircraft to be converted will be three 767-300s owned by Ethiopian Airlines.
Yossi Melamed, executive vice president of IAI and general manager of Aviation Group says there has been a sharp rise in demand for cargo aircraft due to the growth of e-commerce, adding it reached record levels during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He says: “I am excited by the opening of the current centre in Ethiopia, and thank my colleagues in Ethiopian Airlines for the trust they have put in IAI’s Aviation Group.”
Tewolde GebreMariam, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group adds that increasing cargo capacity, infrastructure and connectivity is part of its Diversified Aviation Business Model of Vision 2025.
He says: “We are very happy that we are able to collaborate with IAI to enable us to expand our cargo and logistics services.”