Ethiopian Cargo Opens Chengdu Tianfu – Addis Ababa All-Cargo Air Route, First of Its Kind for Southwest China

According to Xinhua News Agency, Ethiopian Airlines flight ET3005, an all-cargo aircraft departing from Addis Ababa, touches down smoothly at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport. The landing marks the official launch of Chengdu’s first direct all-cargo air route to Africa. This newly opened service is also the maiden Africa-bound freight route launched after China rolled out zero-tariff arrangements for Africa, filling a market gap for dedicated all-cargo flights linking southwest China directly with Africa.

The Chengdu Tianfu – Addis Ababa route will be operated with Boeing 777F freighter aircraft. Two weekly rotations run on Mondays and Fridays for the time being. Capacity will be dynamically adjusted in future to lift the frequency to four weekly services, boosting the route’s freight carrying capacity and operational stability.

The two-way cargo flow of the route aligns closely with the complementary industrial foundation and mutually beneficial framework under China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. Inbound flights carry specialty agricultural, forestry and livestock products from Africa including coffee, fresh flowers, fruits, vegetables and beef and mutton, delivering African produce efficiently to markets across western China. Outbound flights prioritise high-value manufactured goods from China’s new three categories of foreign trade products, such as new energy vehicles, photovoltaic equipment and lithium batteries, opening an aerial corridor for Chinese manufactured goods to reach the African continent.

With Addis Ababa functioning as its core aviation hub, the network of Ethiopian Airlines enables cargo shipped from Chengdu to be swiftly redistributed to major urban centres across all 54 African nations, including Lagos, Accra, Dakar, Entebbe and Lubumbashi. The air link creates a direct freight corridor connecting inland western China to Africa and delivers large-scale, high-efficiency air logistics support for China-Africa commercial exchanges. Dense, regular capacity deployment and a mature hub transfer network provide full logistical and hub backing for cross-border cargo distribution and network expansion on the Chengdu Tianfu – Addis Ababa all-cargo route.

The route bridges the export ambitions of Chinese manufacturing sectors and the distinctive commodity resources of Africa. Chengdu Tianfu International Airport benefits from strong aviation hub endowments and a geographically central position within inland western China, which will create cumulative and magnifying effects for African imported goods entering the Chinese market.

The vast consumer base and well-established commercial distribution networks within the Chengdu-Chongqing region allow rapid intake and redistribution of imported African goods. A new pattern of import trade takes shape, featuring direct inbound delivery, local consolidation and distribution across the whole country. The arrangement raises Chengdu’s capacity to gather, allocate and circulate African imports, and positions southwest China as a core host region for China-Africa import trade.

Chengdu Tianfu International Airport currently operates 77 international and regional air routes. It pursues parallel development of passenger and cargo businesses and has built an operational model combining dedicated freighter flights and bellyhold cargo, while its “Tianfu Transfer” service brand undergoes continuous optimisation. Between January and July 2026, the port at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport registers an import and export value of 330.35 billion yuan, accounting for 62.6 per cent of the total value handled by Chengdu’s air port. Designated supervision zones process 5,991 tonnes of special import and export goods, representing a 40.0 per cent year-on-year rise. The international express centre handles 13,404 tonnes of cargo, with a year-on-year growth of 93.9 per cent.