Musenge Advises Zambia Airways Not To relaunch

Captain Charles Musenge, aviation expert and ex-Zambia Airways pilot, has raised concerns over talk to relaunch Zambia Airways during the middle of a pandemic when several other airlines are folding up. 

Speaking on Hot FM, Musenge advised that a lot of consideration must be made before making such a large decision, especially given Zambia’s financial position. 

Confident in the ability of the country to run a national airline, the Captain’s concerns were more so focused on the timing of the idea.

“The concept of a national carrier is deeply rooted in the identity for the nation and the pride of the nation but of those two, we have to seriously consider the economic aspects of it and make sure that we do setup an airline that is profitable and sustainable,” he said. “This country is currently in a serious financial position. You can feel it in your day-to-day life and the (Covid) pandemic has adversely affected the aviation industry globally.”

Although the airline would not be run by the government, who faces billions of dollar’s-worth of debt, any decision to relaunch the airline would be the wrong decision to make for any business, Musenge believes. 

“Most airlines in the region and globally are shutting down, people are being declared unemployed and they are having to look for bailouts to survive. So, if you look at the environment right now, it is not the right time for a national airline,” he stressed. 

Airlines including South African Airways and Namibian Airline have already been placed under liquidation as a result of the stresses the pandemic has caused on the aviation industry.