De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited and Ethiopian Airlines Group has announced that Ethiopian has signed a proposal for the purchase of two Dash 8-400 Freighter – 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 finalize a definitive and binding agreement. “Cargo has played a pivotal role in Ethiopian Airlines’ operations over the past couple of years, and will remain a key growth pillar of our business over the coming years,” said Mesfin Tasew, Chief Executive Officer, Ethiopian Airlines Group.
Philippe Poutissou, Vice President, Customer Experience, De Havilland Canada 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 capitalize 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 for this confidence in the aircraft’s capability.”
“The Dash 8-400 aircraft’s industry[1]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 MRO – already a De Haviland Canada Authorized Service Facility,” Mr. Poutissou added.
“This conversion capability will support Ethiopian’s fleet needs and can be offered to other Dash 8 aircraft operators in Africa and neighboring 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.