Ethiopian Cargo has officially launched a new Boeing 777F freighter route connecting Ezhou Huahu International Airport in China’s Hubei province with Addis Ababa, São Paulo and Santiago de Chile. The inaugural flight arrived at Ezhou early on Monday, November 9, carrying a shipment of Chilean cherries, according to a report by the China News Service agency.
The new service will operate twice weekly using Boeing 777F freighters, following the Ezhou–Addis Ababa–São Paulo–Santiago routing. According to an airport official, outbound flights will carry cross-border e-commerce goods from China, while the return legs will focus mainly on South American fresh produce, particularly cherries and salmon. The airport noted that these products can reach Chinese consumers within 48 hours of departure.
The launch builds on Ethiopian Cargo’s growing presence along this corridor. A Ezhou–Addis Ababa–São Paulo–Buenos Aires route began operating recently along the same corridor, with one weekly frequency on 777Fs, focused primarily on importing salmon and beef. The airline originally opened the Ezhou–São Paulo route on March 31 with three weekly frequencies, and during the previous season it already carried cherries from Santiago to Ezhou with stops in Lagos and Addis Ababa.
The cherry corridor between Chile and China is among the most contested segments in air cargo. In November 2025, China Southern opened a Santiago–Los Angeles–Shanghai route using 777Fs, while China Eastern has been active in the market for more than a decade. The competition reflects the high value and strong demand for Chilean cherries in China, particularly during the South American cherry season.
Ezhou Huahu International Airport opened in July 2022 as the first airport in Asia dedicated exclusively to cargo. It was developed by SF Holding and serves as a base for SF Airlines. In July, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) ranked it among the world’s 30 busiest cargo airports. As of April, the airport had 117 cargo routes, operated in part by 20 international cargo airlines.
The new Ethiopian Cargo service strengthens Ezhou’s position as a global cargo hub while expanding Ethiopian Airlines’ freight network across South America and Asia. It also provides Chilean exporters with additional capacity to reach the Chinese market, where demand for fresh cherries and salmon continues to grow.
