- African skies are brazing up to become more vibrant through collaborations and partnerships between leading airlines in the continent.
- Ethiopian Airlines, the largest aviation group in Africa, recently announced its joint venture with Industrial Development Corporation Limited (IDC) to launch Zambia’s, National Carrier.
African skies are poised to become more vibrant through collaborations and partnerships between leading airlines in the continent.
Ethiopian Airlines, the largest aviation group in Africa, recently announced its joint venture with Industrial Development Corporation Limited (IDC) to launch Zambia’s, National Carrier. While Ethiopian will hold a 45 percent stake in the joint venture, Industrial Development Corporation Limited (IDC) will have the remaining 55 percent. Both the shareholders have contributed $30 million in capital towards the establishment of the airline. The maiden flight of the new Zambia Airways (ZN) will commence with a domestic flight from Lusaka to Ndola on 1st December 2021. Other domestic routes as well as regional destinations, to Johannesburg and Harare, will be added to its network within the first quarter of 2022. The new Zambia Airways is expected to serve as a strong hub in Central and Southern Africa providing domestic, regional and eventually international air connectivity to the major destinations in the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
Kenya Airways (KQ) and it’s South African counterpart SAA are jointly working towards launching an African airline alliance. The two loss-making carriers entered into a cooperation agreement two months ago to mutually support their recovery from severe losses induced by the Covid-19 pandemic. The agreement has been upgraded into a strategic partnership framework during the recent visit of President Uhuru Kenyatta to South Africa with a target to launch a pan African airline group by 2023. A joint statement issued by the Airlines said that the signing of the strategic partnership framework by the two African airlines will tap each other’s strength to increase passenger traffic, cargo opportunities and general trade in South Africa, Kenya and Africa.
Meanwhile, Tanzania’s national carrier is also in a fleet and network expansion mode. It has resumed operations between Dar es Salaam and Kenya’s capital Nairobi after two decades of absence. The new ultra-modern Airbus A220-300 will fly daily on the Dar es Salaam – Nairobi route, strategic to the carrier’s expansion plans.
Air Tanzania Managing Director and CEO, Eng. Ladislaus Matindi said that the resumption of the flight reflected improved business and political relations between the two neighbors, which will promote tourism, trade, and also connect the region with other markets. Air Tanzania has also introduced three new regional routes this month from Dar es Salaam to Bujumbura (Burundi), Ndola (Zambia), and Lubumbashi (DR Congo).
