Ethiopian Airlines has announced the completion of its first passenger-to-cargo conversion of a Boeing 767-300ER.
Ethiopian partnered with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to add a 767-300ER freighter conversion line at its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) hub at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. Ethiopian’s facility is the largest MRO center in Africa.
IAI was signed on in August 2021 to add the line and convert three of the airline’s 767s. The conversion of the second aircraft has reached the door-cutting stage and will be finished in a few months.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with IAI and become the first African carrier to successfully complete the passenger-to-cargo conversion of a 767,” Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew says. “As a fast-growing airline, our partnership with IAI ... is crucial in technology and skill transfer in the field of [MRO].”
The airline introduced the 767-300ER in 2004. The conversion is aimed at finding a role for these aging aircraft as the airline replaces them with more modern twin-aisles such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787.
“We have been working to expand our cargo operation as demand is expected to grow with the establishment of an e-commerce hub in Addis Ababa,” Tasew says.
In early March, Boeing and Ethiopian announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding that would see the airline purchase five of the new-generation 777-8F cargo aircraft, which is a variant of the 777X.
As Africa’s largest airline, Ethiopian currently operates nine 777F freighters, connecting the continent with 67 cargo centers across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. The carrier’s fleet also includes four 737-800BCFs (Boeing Converted Freighters).
During the pandemic, Ethiopian had temporarily converted around 25 of its widebody passenger aircraft into freighters using its in-house MRO capabilities.
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