Fire causes structural damage on Ethiopian 777F

A major fire has resulted in significant damage to the upper fuselage of an Ethiopian Airlines 777F in Shanghai (PVG).

The six-year-old aircraft (42031) had arrived from Brussels (BRU). According to the airline, the fire occurred while cargo was being loaded. The 777F was about to fly to Sao Paulo (GRU) and Santiago (SCL) via Addis Ababa (ADD). There were no injuries.

Photos and videos on Chinese social media show the fire burning through the fuselage skin in several locations.

Another video of the burning Ethiopian 777F at Shanghai circulating on Chinese social media show the airport fire department on scene and the fire seems to be under control. #BreakingNews #AvGeek pic.twitter.com/OcP0pxNcd8

— FATIII Aviation (@FATIIIAviation) July 22, 2020

In a statement, Ethiopian said it had worked with the authorities to contain the fire, and that the cause of the incident is under investigation.

Ethiopian Airlines currently has ten 777Fs and two 737-800SFs in its freighter fleet, but recently told Cargo Facts it plans to add six more, including one new 777F and five converted aircraft.