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Ethiopian Airlines Cargo begins China-Ethiopia freighter service

Ethiopian Airlines Cargo has started a new freighter service between Chengdu, China and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to support trade between Asia and Africa. The service began on 28 August and operates between Chengdu Tianfu International Airport and Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. "A new connection takes flight today! Ethiopian Airlines launched a new freighter service from Chengdu China, opening a new direct cargo link between Southwest China and Africa," said Ethiopian Airlines in a LinkedIn post today. "The new air link will provide a strong boost to the trade and economic exchanges between western China and Africa." According to China's Xinhua News Agency, the service will operate twice weekly initially using a Boeing 777 freighter. The 777F has 5,000 nmi of range with a 107-tonne payload. The frequency of the service may also increase to four flights per week in future. Tang Ruibo, general manager of Ethiopian Airlines China, said the service will help strengthen supply chains between China and Africa and support the distribution of Chengdu's outbound cargo to key cities in 54 African countries, including Lagos, Accra, Dakar, Entebbe, and Lubumbashi. Data from Planespotters shows that Ethiopian Airlines has 12 777Fs, four converted 737-800Fs; one converted 767-300F; and two 767-300Fs. Ethiopian Airlines serves 70 dedicated cargo and 140+ passenger destinations in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Ethiopian Cargo handles general and special cargo, including horticulture, pharmaceuticals, valuables, live animals and e-commerce.

Hong Kong Air Cargo adds Brisbane to charter network

Hong Kong Air Cargo plans to start round-trip charter flights between Hong Kong and Brisbane, Australia this month. The cargo carrier will begin flights on 29 August and operate the once a week service on Saturdays. "By expanding footprint at Queensland's premier aviation gateway, the route strengthens our regional network and opens lucrative trade lanes between East Asia and Oceania," said Hong Kong Air Cargo. "Looking ahead, Hong Kong Air Cargo will continue to explore expansion opportunities, including growth in key markets and long-haul development." Earlier this month Hong Kong Air Cargo launched a dedicated freighter service between Hong Kong and Mumbai. As well as Australia and India, the carrier has steadily expanded into Europe, in part to meet e-commerce demand in the region, although e-commerce volumes have recently been affected by the European Union's (EU) introduction of a charge for low-cost packages. The airline started operations in the region in October 2023 with a service to Milan Malpensa. In February 2024, Hong Kong Air Cargo began operating a new route to Liege in Belgium, then in September 2024, it expanded its network to Oslo in Norway. The UK in particular has been a major focal point for the airline's European operations. In February 2024, it started operating to London Stansted (STN), then in October 2024, it launched a route to Birmingham (BHX). In February 2025, the airline began flying to Glasgow Prestwick (PIK) and in November 2025 it began operations at East Midlands Airport (EMA). In February this year, the airline also launched scheduled services to Larnaca International in Cyprus. Hong Kong Air Cargo's fleet includes an Airbus A330-200 passenger to freighter (P2F) aircraft and five A330-200 production freighters, all dry leased from parent company Hong Kong Airlines. The airline also has an EFW-converted Airbus A330-300P2F that is on ACMI lease.

MSC schedules more east-west liner services for Suez Canal transit

MSC is continuing its restoration of Suez Canal transits for selected east-west services, joining the Gemini Cooperation and Ocean Alliance in a cautious return to the Red Sea route. The move follows last week's announcement that the world's largest container shipping line would be sending seven ships through the waterway this month. It said on Monday: "Following a comprehensive review of the latest security and operational conditions in the Red Sea region, MSC has decided to partially restore Suez Canal transits on a limited number of its east-west services." These are both eastbound and westbound voyages, and comprise: MSC Michel Cappellini, on the Asia-Mediterranean Jade service; MSC Josefina, on the Asia-North Europe Albatros service; MSC Beryl, on the India-Mediterranean Himalaya service; and MSC Anna and MSC Tina, on the Asia-Mediterranean Tiger service. MSC said: "Contingency arrangements remain in place, allowing individual voyages to be adjusted should circumstances require," adding that the protection of seafarers, vessels and cargo remained its "overriding priority". The move leaves the Premier Alliance as the major grouping to begin a broader transition of its services. However, it has slots on MSC's Tiger service, meaning some alliance cargo will move via Suez. Industry consultant Lars Jensen said the moves could point towards a broader return to normality. "At this pace it might be reasonable to see a normalisation by end-2026. This normalisation can still involve a few services going around Africa for the carriers to absorb some of the resultant excess capacity being released." However, carriers continue to deal with the knock-on effects of the Red Sea crisis on container equipment and network efficiency. Sea-Intelligence's latest analysis, based on Container Trade Statistics data from December 2017 to June 2026, found: "Essentially empty containers are - roughly - shipped 4% longer than head-haul containers, although presently the level is around the 4.5% mark. This means that not only do head-haul shippers need to compensate for the imbalances in terms of higher freight rates, they also need to compensate for the added imbalance in sailing distances for those empties." MSC's move therefore marks another step towards restoring the pre-crisis network, but the transition is likely to be gradual as carriers balance security, capacity, and equipment considerations.