Ethiopian Cargo launches capacity e-bookings platform

Addis Ababa, January 12, 2022 (FBC) –Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics Services has adopted an online e-bookings platform.

Customers will now be able check flight schedules and book space for their shipments in real-time utilizing the platform on the African airline’s website.

The move follows the airfreight division introducing a mobile app which allows customers to check flight schedules, track their airfreight shipments and activate requests for charter flights.

Customers also have the option of using Ethiopian’s new chatbot to conduct online conversations via text or text-to-speech conversion, thereby gaining access to real-time ‘spoken’ information and shipments tracking via Facebook Messenger and/or the Telegram cloud-based business messaging system.

Commenting on these strategic digital decisions, Tewolde GebreMariam, Chief Executive of Ethiopian Airlines Group, says he wants to make the airfreight booking process much more convenient for customers.

“We are committed to start walking the long walk of taking out paper from entire air cargo process by digitalizing the logistics value chain,” he insists.

“Taking out paper from the logistics value chain is not only a convenient and hassle-free service for customers but it also delivers more efficient operational excellence and achieves long term sustainability goals.

“Our online bookings platform will be crucial in empowering direct cargo customers and forwarders with reliable access to our capacity inventory. Besides, our cargo division has proved to the world that it is a genuine partner in times of dire need by delivering life-saving personal protective equipment (PPE) and hundreds of millions of various [COVID] vaccines to all major continents of the world,” he adds.

Ethiopian’s pan-African passenger and cargo network connects to 127 international destinations across five continents, with a fleet which includes the A350, B787-8, B787-9, B777- 300ER, B777-200LR, the B777-200 freighter and B737-800SF passenger-to-freighter (p2f) aircraft.

Africa’s most successful carrier has also entered into a partnership with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Aviation Group for the construction of its own dedicated aircraft conversions centre specifically for B767-300 ERs at its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility located at the airline’s Addis Ababa airport base, according to Air Cargo Eye.