Through a joint development program defined by Ethiopian Airlines and Djibouti Ports and Free Zone Authority, the first Sea-Air Cargo operation was carried out, handling 17 tons of electronic materials and household appliances from Shenzen, China, to Lagos and Kano, Nigeria, transiting via Djibouti.
The president of Djibouti Ports and Free zone Authority, Aboubaker Omar Hadi, a diplomat from the Ethiopian embassy in Djibouti, Beneyam Ephrem, Area Manager of Ethiopian Airlines and other important players in the supply chain attended the ceremony.
The project involves enhancing synergies between the port of Djibouti and the air cargo hub in Addis Ababa, greatly speeding up the movement of goods to the African continent. Freight cargo arriving at the port of Djibouti, therefore, will be able to count on a network of air links operated by Ethiopian Airlines, both direct and via the company’s hub in the Ethiopian capital, then reaching the main destinations on the African continent.
According to the managers of the program, the sea-air freight project is characterized by times twice as fast as sea transport alone, against costs twice as economical as air transport alone, with the prospect of substantially increasing trade relations not only between the two countries but, above all, between Africa and Asia, and China in particular.
