Alibaba Group’s logistics division, Cainiao, has announced that it has finalized agreements with Ethiopian Airlines to introduce a cold chain to transport temperature-sensitive medication from the Group’s home base, China.
The air freight will depart from Shenzhen Airport in China, which houses the nation’s first cross-border medical chain facility. Deliveries will be made twice a week to other nations via Addis Ababa and Dubai.
This development follows China’s pledge to provide COVID-19 vaccination to nations that it already has close ties to as well as others that require assistance. A Cainiao spokesperson confirmed that all the necessary steps will be complete by the time China is ready to deploy vaccinations internationally.
The fact that Ethiopian Airlines’ cargo terminal comes with facilities that allow temperature adjustments that fall within the standards required for the vaccines and cabins that have temperature-controlled monitors make the renowned company ideal for this goal along with its demonstrated dedication to aiding African nations in the fight against the pandemic.
Last April, Ethiopian Airlines Group Director General Tewolde Gebremariam had strongly affirmed the airline’s intentions to work more closely with the Alibaba Group stating that the two giants working together is a “natural fit”. Currently, Addis Ababa is the Group’s second-largest destination after Kigali (Rwanda).
The Africa Report, Tech Crunch, Tech Times