An investigation was under way to find the cause of an Ethiopian cargo plane which caught alight in an airport in China, according to reports.
On Wednesday, parts of a Boeing 777F cargo plane belonging to Ethiopian Airlines, the country’s national carrier, was on fire at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in China, BBC reported.
Alex Macheras, an aviation analyst who reports aviation news for some of the world’s top news publications, released a video on his Twitter account showing the incident.
The video captures the back end of the plane in flames with black smoke pouring from the plane.
Breaking: Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 777F (cargo) on fire at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, China — it’s burning through part of the fuselage. pic.twitter.com/gD2kAMLBUq
— Alex Macheras (@AlexInAir) July 22, 2020
The caption read “it’s burning through part of the fuselage,” referring to the body of the plane.
Releasing a statement on social media, Ethiopian Airlines tweeted: “The aircraft was on a regular scheduled cargo service from Shangai to Sao Paulo-Santiago via Addis Ababa. All ground staff and flying crew are safe. Ethiopian has collaborated with all concerned authorities and contained the fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the appropriate authorities.”
According to Simple Flying, the aircraft with the registration number ET-ARH, is a five-year-old Boeing 777F which has been with the East African airline since it was built.
Furthermore, despite firefighters successfully tackling the blaze, it was already written off while it was on fire according to the Aviation Safety Network, a “private and independent initiative which covers aircraft accidents and safety issues”.
Anadolu Agency (AA) reports one of the main ways Ethiopian Airlines managed to stay in business, when the majority of the world’s airports were closed in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, was through cargo operations.
African News Agency/ANA
