ET, De Havilland partner on Dash freighters, kits

Ethiopian Airlines (ET) Group and the De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited have signed a proposal for the purchase of two Dash 8-400 Freighter and Large Cargo Door (F-LCD) conversion kits.

The proposal provides an option for an additional two F-LCD conversion kits. The parties are working to finalise a definitive and binding agreement.

Chief Executive Officer, Ethiopian Airlines Group, Mesfin Tasew, noted that cargo has played a pivotal role in Ethiopian Airlines’ operations over the past couple of years, and would remain a key growth pillar of our business over the coming years.

Tasew said: “The pandemic and subsequent recovery efforts have given rise to significant opportunities in the cargo space and we see great value in converting our older Dash 8-400 fleet to freighters to capitalise on these growing opportunities.

“Ethiopian’s proposal with De Havilland Canada is a superb testament to the versatility of the Dash 8-400 aircraft to satisfy a wide variety of operational requirements and we thank Ethiopian Airlines for this confidence in the aircraft’s capability,” said Philippe Poutissou, Vice President, Customer Experience, De Havilland Canada.

“The Dash 8-400 aircraft’s industry-leading operating costs and environmental footprint, as well as its outstanding performance and large cabin volume have facilitated our introduction of a series of freighter options –including Quick Change, Package Freighter and LCD Freighters — to better serve the expanding cargo market.

“We are also excited to announce our partnership with Ethiopian to offer Dash 8 freighter conversions through their experienced Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) – already a De Haviland Canada Authorised Service Facility,” added Poutissou.

“This conversion capability will support Ethiopia’s fleet needs and can be offered to other Dash 8 aircraft operators in Africa and neighbouring regions as an additional choice to the conversions De Havilland Canada can perform in Canada or through our Mobile Repair Team.”

The Dash 8-400 aircraft has logged over 11 million flight hours and transported more than 570 million passengers. Worldwide, the aircraft is in the fleets of more than 70 owners and operators.