Zambia Airways Is On The Runway, Taking Off December 1st

Zambia Airways will finally take to the skies on December 1st, 2021, with its maiden voyage from Lusaka to Ndola.

The new Zambia Airways (ZN, Lusaka) will operate five or six times a week with domestic flights to Livingstone and Ndola for the time being.

Established in August 2018, the new airline is a joint venture from Ethiopian Airlines and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), a third party industrial development agency associated with the Zambian government.  

Taking a glance at the specifics of this new partnership, the IDC holds 55% of shares, whilst Ethiopian Airlines (ET, Addis Ababa) retain 45% ownership, towards which shareholders have contributed USD30 million in to get Zambian Airways off the ground.

According to a statement issued to the media by the Zambia Airways board, other domestic routes to Mfuwe and Solwezi will follow before introducing international destinations, to Johannesburg and Harare, to its network within the first quarter of 2022.

The previous incarnation of Zambia Airways, established in 1964, ceased its operations in 1994. It is welcome news that the new airline is now ready to resume operations in time for the festive season. 

The airline was initially set to be launched on October 24, 2018, before being postponed to August the following year. However, like many other aspects of life, its progress ground to a halt with the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Its fleet consists of three leased aircrafts, two DHC-8-Q400s and one B737-800. It is understood these have been sourced from Ethiopian Airlines, which operates a fleet of forty crafts.

Furthermore, 25 Zambian cabin crew members and five Zambian pilots have already been recruited and trained at the Ethiopian Aviation Academy.

This is one early example of the jobs and training opportunities this new national airline is expected to create for Zambians, and why many are optimistic that the venture will be a source of national pride for the country. It is also the hope that this will lay the foundations for greater international tourism to Zambia in the near future.

The introduction of the new flag carrier is expected to coincide with an increase in domestic and regional travel, as an increasing number of Zambians receive their vaccinations against COVID-19. The airline is also looking to make use of the modern infrastructure at the new Ndola airport, and eventually the newly constructed Terminal Two at Lusaka.

The new Terminal Two was opened for international flights on August 5, 2021. Domestic passengers will continue to travel through the old Terminal One for the time being however.