A regular cargo route between Macau and Madrid, operated by Ethiopian Airlines, was launched yesterday, with two round-trip flights operating every week, marked by an inaugural ceremony at the local airport yesterday morning when a freighter operating the route was greeted by an aircraft water salute.
The cargo route is expected to provide a round-trip capacity of 400 tonnes of freight every week, with over 20,000 tonnes in total anticipated for a year.
After the Boeing 777F cargo aircraft touched down at the airport where it was greeted by a traditional water cannon salute for yesterday morning’s ceremony, it then flew to Madrid delivering “high-quality and cost-effective” Chinese products to European consumers, the airline said.
The newly launched route aims to provide another channel for Chinese-made cross-border e-commerce goods to be exported to European countries.
The route can also be used for exporting such goods to South American countries via the Spanish capital as a transit point.
Ethiopian Airlines is Africa’s largest airline, in terms of passengers carried, destinations served, and fleet size.
Yesterday’s inaugural ceremony for the new route was attended by guests such as Ethiopia’s Ambassador to China, Tefera Derbew Yimam, Macau Civil Aviation Authority (AACM) President Pun Wa Kin, Ethiopian Airlines’ country director for China, Aman Wole Gurmu, and the chairman of local airport operator CAM’s executive committee, Simon Chan Weng Hong.
Delivering a speech during yesterday’s ceremony, Chan said that “today [yesterday] marks a historical milestone with the launch of Macau’s first direct cargo corridor to Europe via Ethiopian Airlines’ Madrid freighter service”.
“This transformative initiative positions Macau as a global trade crossroad, seamlessly connecting the industrial hubs in the Greater Bay Area to European markets”, Chan said.
“This achievement reflects the synergy between Ethiopian Airlines’ operational excellence and Macau International Airport’s infrastructure advancements, including the airport expansion project and the upstream cargo terminal project in Hengqin. In addition to the upgrade in the air logistics industry, this route will accelerate the Belt and Road Initiative’s vision of shared prosperity and diversify Macau’s economy beyond tourism”, Chan said.
The local airport’s ongoing reclamation and expansion project got off the ground late last year, while its Hengqin Upstream Cargo Terminal project is now scheduled to start later this quarter.
A statement by Ethiopian Airlines yesterday said that as its fourth major cargo hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA), the new Macau route will create strong synergies with existing routes in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, adding that the strategic network, anchored in southern China, will establish a globally connected air cargo ecosystem.
The statement said that the launch of the new route will inject fresh vitality into Macau’s hub development, adding that leveraging the upgraded facilities from Macau International Airport’s expansion and the future Hengqin Upstream Cargo Terminal, the new route is projected to handle over 20,000 tonnes of annual cross-border freight, significantly advancing Macau’s role as an Air Silk Road hub for China-Africa trade and South-South cooperation.
Also delivering a speech during yesterday’s ceremony, Gurmu said that the new Macau cargo route marks Ethiopian Airlines’ 10th cargo route in China, adding that operated by Boeing 777F cargo aircraft, the new route will initially run two round-trip flights every week, providing 400 tonnes of cargo capacity per week between Macau and Madrid.
Having previously launched routes in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong within the GBA, Gurmu said, the addition of the Macau route will create a “four-wing synergy” in Ethiopian Airlines’ regional network.
Through strategically complementary flight designs, Gurmu said, the new cargo route will deliver cross-border e-commerce goods from the GBA to Madrid while rapidly distributing premium European products to Asia-Pacific markets. The anticipated additional 20,000 tonnes in cross-border cargo volume a year will drive the upgrading of supporting industries such as warehousing, customs clearance, and supply chain finance across the region, Gurmu said.
Gurmu underlined that as Africa’s largest aviation group, Ethiopian Airlines remains committed to expanding its global network, with China being one of the most vital and promising markets worldwide, adding that the launch of the Macau cargo route will not only deepen the airline’s collaboration with upstream and downstream enterprises in the GBA’s cross-border e-commerce ecosystem, solidifying its logistics partnerships in South China, but also providing a more efficient and convenient logistics corridor for e-commerce trade between China and Europe as well as China and Africa.
Gurmu said that the new route exemplifies the airline’s innovative approach to intercontinental connectivity, where cross-border e-commerce goods from the GBA will reach Europe, while European precision instruments will be transported to Africa through this artery, adding that such a “pioneering” model vividly embodies the airline’s “practical” contribution to the Belt and Road Initiative.
Yesterday’s statement by Ethiopian Airlines said that the goods exported from China to Europe through the new Macau-Madrid cargo route primarily include e-commerce products such as toys, small electric appliances, furniture, 3C electronics products, auto parts, apparel, and cosmetics.
3C electronics products refer to computer products, communication devices, and consumer electronics.
The statement added that some shipments will also be transported via Madrid to South American countries such as Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru.
Moreover, the statement said, thanks to the new Macau-Madrid cargo route new types of imported fresh fruit, flowers and aquatic products will enrich Macau’s service industry offerings.
Aman Wole Gurmu (left), Ethiopian Airlines’ country director for China, presents flowers to the crew yesterday morning after the Boeing 777F cargo aircraft operated for the new Macau-Madrid cargo route landed at the airport. – Photo: Maria Cheang Ut Meng
