Freight Ethiopian and DHL Global Forwarding form joint venture

Ethiopian is the largest aviation group in Africa and will hold the majority of shares in this joint venture and provide regulatory and operational support. DHL Global Forwarding, leading international provider of air, sea and road freight services, will establish air, ocean and road freight connections from Ethiopia’s main trade hubs to the rest of the world. Appointed to lead the JV company is Pramod Bagalwadi, a DHL veteran with more than 10 years of management experience.

“With its GDP growth, Africa is stepping into the spotlight as production hub. Recent moves to open up the economy will continue to boost Ethiopia’s position as the fastest-growing economy in Africa, and under Pramod’s leadership, the company will be able to provide a scalable and durable logistics infrastructure to safely handle the sensitive needs of its core industries”, said Amadou Diallo, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Middle East and Africa.

Tewolde GebreMariam, CEO of the Ethiopian Airlines Group, said: “Logistics is key to support Africa’s fast economic growth and industrialization drive. Ethiopian has, therefore, partnered with DHL who has a proven expertise and experience in the logistics sector, with a view to avail the right logistics solutions in terms of cost, time and quality. We have had a longstanding and mutually rewarding partnership with DHL, and with this JV we aim to make the country a logistics hub for Africa.”

Ethiopian and DHL Global Forwarding started their extended partnership in 2010, with DHL supporting maintenance, repair and overhaul operations of Ethiopian Airline’s commercial segment. Africa’s growing economy is increasing the demand for freight-capacity. The JV company is designed to meet these demands.

Ethiopian Airlines is Ethiopia’s flag carrier currently serving 100 international and 21 domestic destinations with an operating fleet of 108 aircraft. The airlines vision for Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services is to become “the most competitive and leading Global Cargo Airlines by providing safe, market driven and customer focused cargo, courier and mail transport services by 2025”.

DHL Global Forwarding is the global market leader in air, sea and road freight operations. The company has bases all around the globe and offers efficient routes for a multitude of transport needs.