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- Zambia Airways will fly again from 1st December, 2021
- Initially, it would connect domestic flights from Lusaka to Ndola
- It will operate a frequency of five and six times a week to Livingstone and Ndola, respectively
- The new Zambia Airways is a joint venture established in August 2018 between the Industrial Development Corporation Limited (IDC), and Ethiopian Airlines (ET, Addis Ababa), IDC holds 55% shareholding and the remaining 45% share is with various stakeholders
Zambia Airways will fly again from 1st December, 2021. Initially, it would connect domestic flights from Lusaka to Ndola. It will operate a frequency of five and six times a week to Livingstone and Ndola, respectively.
The new Zambia Airways is a joint venture established in August 2018 between the Industrial Development Corporation Limited (IDC), and Ethiopian Airlines (ET, Addis Ababa), IDC holds 55% shareholding and the remaining 45% share is with various stakeholders. The contribution of shareholders is US$ 30 million.
Gradually, the airline would connect other domestic destinations such as Mfuwe and Solwezi. Thereafter, it would start connecting regional destinations, such as Johannesburg and Harare.
Zambia Airways was established in 1964. It ceased operations in 1994. Now, it is set to resume operations using a fleet of three leased aircraft including two DHC-8-Q400s and one B737-800. The aircraft are expected to be sourced from Ethiopian Airlines, which operates a fleet of twenty-seven Q400s and sixteen B737-800s.
The airline was initially to be launched on October 24, 2018, before being postponed for a second time to August 20. However, its debut was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, re-certification procedures which were still ongoing by April 2021, and Zambia having had to ratify the Cape Town Convention to secure Zambia Airways’ leased fleet.
The new Terminal Two at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka was formally commissioned on August 9, 2021, by the then Zambian President Edgar Lungu, who said his administration had invested more than $1 billion in the aviation sector.
The new facility was opened for international flights on August 5, 2021, according to a notice by the Zambia Airports Corporation Limited (ZACL). Domestic passengers will continue to be processed through the old Terminal One until further notice.
Other key milestones included the acquisition of an Air Service Permit and an Air Operator Certificate (AOC), and the granting of the AZB designator code from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
