Ethiopian Airlines flight ET3005, an all-cargo service departing from Addis Ababa, recently touched down smoothly at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport in southwest China. This marks the launch of Chengdu’s first direct all-cargo air route to Africa, and the first new cargo route since China implemented zero‑tariff policies for African goods.

Operated by Boeing 777F freighters, the Chengdu–Addis Ababa route is launching with two flights a week, on Mondays and Fridays, with plans to expand to four flights weekly, steadily increasing capacity and stability.

The two-way cargo flow reflects the complementary China-Africa industrial partnership. Inbound shipments bring African specialties —  coffee, flowers, fresh produce and meat to western China’s market, while outbound cargo carries on high-value “New Trio” manufactured goods — new energy vehicles, photovoltaic equipment and lithium batteries — carrying Chinese-made products to the African continent via the air corridor.