Ethiopia- Air hub for East Africa?

Interesting piece on the devlopment of air transport in the Horn of Africa here:

The Horn of Africa and East Africa is proving a bountiful hunting ground for air cargo, with perishables emerging as the new gold standard. It has provided the opportunity for several African carriers to build their cargo businesses into highly-respected operations.

Among them, Ethiopian Airlines is about to firmly establish its air cargo credentials with the opening of a new 150,695 square-foot cargo terminal in Addis Ababa hub.

According to Ayenew Alemeneh, director of cargo marketing for the carrier, the new facility will have the capability of handling in excess of 100,000 tonnes of freight a year, not much by standards of hubs in the developed world but a cornucopia of cargo in Africa.

"The entire terminal is very much geared to the handling of perishables traffic which transits through Addis Ababa," says Ayenew Alemeneh. "We are not yet sure of the traffic ratios, but we believe over 50 percent of our throughputs will be perishables business."

This, he says, will be traffic fed in from across the Horn of Africa and East Africa.

"Due to our strategic location Addis Ababa has the potential to establish itself as a regional hub for perishables such as cut flowers, fruit, vegetables and meat," says Alemeneh. "This new terminal will be the most modern facility of its type in Africa able to handle cargo in accordance with international standards."

From tiny acorns...