De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (“De Havilland Canada”) and Ethiopian Airlines Group (“Ethiopian”) announced today 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. “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,” 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 MRO – already a De Haviland Canada Authorized
Service Facility,” added Mr Poutissou. “This conversion capability will support Ethiopian’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.”
