An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 777 cargo plane caught fire while loading cargo at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Wednesday, the airline announced. It added that the fire has been contained and none of the crew or ground staff was harmed.
The cause of the incident was under investigation, Ethiopia Airlines said in a Facebook post. The plane was on a regular scheduled cargo service from Shanghai to São Paulo-Santiago, it added.
Pictures and clips circulating on Chinese social media showed heavy smoke pouring from the plane, and a large section of the upper fuselage appeared scorched.
The fire department at the airport immediately set out to douse the blaze as a number of ground staff looked on.
“All ground staff and flying crew are safe. Ethiopian has collaborated with all concerned authorities and contained the fire,” the statement added.
After the fire broke, flights bound for Shanghai Pudong International Airport were diverted to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, said the aviation data provider Variflight.
Bravung the pandemic
Ethiopian was one of the key global airlines that continued active operations at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. The airline opened a special cargo pharma wing to help in global delivery of supplies during the pandemic.
“We have the most extensive cargo network, the largest fleet, the largest cargo terminal, the most interconnections. I am optimistic that we will definitely return to normal. Our long-term strategy remains unchanged,” Tewolde Gebremariam, group chief executive of Ethiopian Airlines said.
The airline also played a crucial role in the repatriation of stranded individuals from Africa to other parts of the world and vice versa. In the past few weeks it has announced a return to the skies for passengers as most countries reopen their skies.
Ethiopia Airlines is Africa’s largest airline in terms of passengers carried, destinations served, fleet size and revenue. Ethiopian is also the world’s fourth largest airline by number of countries served.
