Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services secured the Best Cargo Airline Africa title for the third consecutive year at the Arabian Cargo Awards 2025, reinforcing its position as the continent’s dominant air freight operator.
The airline received the recognition at a ceremony held November 24, 2025, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The award acknowledges Ethiopian’s sustained commitment to operational efficiency, safety standards, and innovative cargo solutions across global supply chains.
Ethiopian Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer Mesfin Tasew expressed pride in the achievement, stating the recognition reflects employees’ commitment to delivering high quality services. He emphasized the airline’s dedication to providing flexible, reliable, and sustainable cargo solutions as global supply chains continue evolving.
The carrier operates over 70 cargo dedicated flights and more than 145 passenger belly cargo services, supported by cutting edge automated technologies. Ethiopian Cargo provides comprehensive transport for general and specialized freight including horticulture products, pharmaceuticals, valuables, live animals, e commerce shipments, mail, and courier services with annual handling capacity reaching one million tons.
Ethiopian Cargo accumulated multiple accolades in recent months beyond the Arabian Cargo Awards. At Air Cargo Africa 2025 held in Nairobi, the airline claimed Highly Acclaimed African Cargo Airport of the Year and Fastest Growing International Cargo Airline of the Year honors. Ethiopian also secured Cargo Airline of the Year Africa at separate Dubai ceremonies, demonstrating consistent recognition across industry platforms.
The airline first won the Best Cargo Airline Africa award at the inaugural Arabian Cargo Awards held October 24, 2023. Ethiopian repeated the achievement at the November 11, 2024 ceremony before securing the third consecutive title in 2025. The Arabian Cargo Awards represents a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) based platform recognizing excellence in cargo and logistics sectors through internet voting.
Ethiopian Airlines Group operates flights to more than 160 domestic and international passenger and cargo destinations across five continents. The airline emphasizes passenger comfort and environmental sustainability through ultra modern aircraft including Boeing 737s, 777s, 787s, Airbus A350 900s, A350 1000s, and De Havilland Q400s.
With a fleet exceeding 140 aircraft including 16 dedicated freighters, Ethiopian commands substantial capacity for both belly hold cargo and dedicated freighter services. The airline operates a state of the art cargo terminal and modern warehouse with one million tons storage capacity, positioning Addis Ababa as a strategic logistics hub connecting Africa with global markets.
Ethiopian pursues a multi hub strategy through partnerships in Lomé, Togo with ASKY Airlines, Lilongwe, Malawi with Malawi Airlines, and Lusaka, Zambia with Zambia Airways. This network expansion strengthens the carrier’s reach across African markets while facilitating trade connections between the continent and other regions.
The airline has achieved its Vision 2025 strategic plan ahead of schedule and currently implements Vision 2035, a 15 year roadmap targeting placement among the world’s top 20 most competitive aviation groups. The plan encompasses safe, market driven, and customer focused passenger transport, cargo logistics, aviation training, airport management, ground services, maintenance repair operations, aerospace manufacturing, and travel tourism services.
Ethiopian has captured Skytrax’s Best Airline in Africa Award for seven consecutive years among various industry recognitions. The airline’s nearly eight decades of operations have established it as the continent’s largest carrier, unrivalled in efficiency and operational success.
At the Aviation Achievement Awards held in Dubai on February 26, 2025, Ethiopian Cargo secured two prestigious honors including Air Cargo Pharma Service of the Year and Cargo Airline of the Year awards. These accolades highlight the carrier’s specialized capabilities in temperature controlled pharmaceutical logistics, a critical sector requiring strict compliance with handling protocols.
The airline also received recognition at the Air Cargo News Awards 2023, demonstrating sustained industry acknowledgment across multiple years and evaluation platforms. Ethiopian’s consistent award collection reflects institutional excellence rather than isolated achievements, indicating systematic commitment to service quality and operational standards.
African air cargo markets have experienced growth as continental trade expands under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement implemented in 2021. The agreement eliminates tariffs on 90 percent of goods traded between African Union member states, creating opportunities for logistics providers connecting African economies with each other and with global markets.
Ethiopian’s cargo division benefits from geography as Addis Ababa’s location provides strategic positioning for connecting eastern, western, southern, and northern African markets with Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The airline leverages this advantage through its hub and spoke model, consolidating freight from multiple origins for distribution across its network.
The carrier’s environmental initiatives include operating one of Africa’s youngest and most fuel efficient fleets with an average age of seven years. Modern aircraft consume less fuel per ton kilometer transported compared to older generation planes, reducing both operating costs and carbon emissions per cargo shipment.
Looking ahead, Ethiopian Cargo aims to rank among the world’s top 20 cargo airlines measured by freight ton kilometers (FTK) by 2035. This ambitious target requires sustained network expansion, capacity additions, and service quality improvements to compete with established global cargo carriers from Asia, Europe, and North America.
The Arabian Cargo Awards 2025 ceremony recognized 42 winners across categories spanning cargo airlines, freight forwarders, ground handling agents, customs authorities, and logistics technology providers. Other notable winners included Etihad Cargo as Best Cargo Airline, Dubai Airports as Best International Air Cargo Terminal, and DHL Global Forwarding as Best Global Forwarding Company.
Ethiopian’s third consecutive win establishes a pattern of dominance in the African cargo airline category, with no other continental carrier matching this achievement since the awards’ inception in 2023. Kenya Airways’ cargo division received the Most Promising Cargo Airline Africa recognition at the 2025 ceremony, while Uganda Airlines earned Emerging Cargo Airline Africa honors.
The airline’s performance occurs against a backdrop of African aviation sector challenges including limited infrastructure investment, fragmented regulatory frameworks, and intense competition from Middle Eastern and European carriers serving African routes. Ethiopian’s sustained growth demonstrates that well managed African airlines can compete effectively despite these structural constraints.
