Kenyan Airways has announced plans to launch a new flight to Zambia’s tourist capital Livingstone in June this year.
The new flight, which will be the third in the country and the airline’s sixtieth destination, is scheduled to commence operations on June 7th and will operate three times weekly via Harare International Airport in Zimbabwe.
Kenyan Airways Country Manager for Zambia and Malawi Stephen Ngamau confirmed the development at a media briefing in Lusaka today.
Mr. Ngamau said as a leading airline in Africa, Kenyan Airways was continually working on expanding its business footprint in the continent in order to encourage sustainable development.
He said this was why the airline was continually opening up new routes to unlock this development adding that the new destination was part of the airline’s move to boost its footprint in the southern African region.
Mr. Ngamau said the new route will mainly target tourists going to view the scenic Victoria Falls in Livingstone.
He further disclosed that Kenyan Airways will kick off its operations to Livingstone under flight code KQ 780 departing from Nairobi at 12:35 hours, 15:35 hours and 17:40 hours respectively.
He said the flights will be on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
And Zambia Tourism Board (ZTB) Managing Director Felix Chaila said the intended launch of the new flight was bound to promote intra-regional packaging of tourism products and services in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region which extends to the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Mr. Chaila said the commencement of the direct flight to Livingstone will add another dimension to the tourism industry in the city and the rest of the country.
He noted that the flight will enhance tourism circuits within Africa’s southern and eastern regions adding that this will greatly enhance Livingstone as a competitive tourist destination.
Kenyan Airways currently flies to two destinations in the country and these are Lusaka and Ndola.
ZANIS
This is the way forward not wasting taxpayers money creating a national airline….let the gov’t improve infrastructure and the private sector do the rest.
Bwana, Kenya Airways is a national carrier for Kenya?? Why can’t Zambia have a national carrier?? What tax payer’s money when you are promoting development of Kenya than Zambia?? What benefit has Kenya Airways brought in Zambia?? WAKE UP??? WE NEED THE NATIONAL CARRIER TO PROMOTE OUR COUNTRY and ALL destinations for TOURISM.
STOP IT…STOP THIS this daydreaming…please tell us how a national airline is going to promote tourism? What is it going to take to convince the European tourist to fly on your “national” airline as opposed to a foreign airline like Emirates or British Airways or KLM? Why can’t you promote tourism now what’s stopping you don’t you have flights coming in everyday? You have no clue how all this works…. are you ready to compete for traffic with already established international carriers for airport slots and passengers at Heathrow? Do you know how much all that costs?
Hahaha,bwana Jay Jay kweli kabisa umenena ingawa private sector yetu pia yote ni ya wageni.Ubaya wetu wazambia tumeshindwa biashara kabisa kutoka supermarkets,benki na simu kampuni zote ni za wageni.Sasa bwana Jay Jay tufanye nini sababu naona wakenya wamejiweza kwa viwanda,kwa ndege na makampuni ya media hivi kwamba wamejiweka Uganda,Tz ,Rwanda na South Sudan. Sisi zambia hatuna watu wa private sector kama hawa wakenya.
This is the way backwards, when you let another country control your aviation industry. Folks, this means Kenya Airways can justify employing Kenyans to come and work in Zambia. So, as a country we are moving backwards even further considering that we used to have a national airline that flew our flag all over the world. Now we dont. Dont be surprised when Swaziland will be running our bus service one of these days….not wasting our taxpayers money….!!
The problem with you is that you think running an airline firm is like running bus company.
What are the kenyans doing right in aviation that we zambians are getting wrong?You can’t tell me that this airline which has been adding a new plane to its fleet every 2 months and opening new routes is doing something magical that we zambians can’t do.Let take this as a challenge to us and learn from kenyans to also set up our own world class airline.
You cant even revamp a simple railway system and you think you can run an airline?Not under Ukwa atleast!
I will only celebrate when I see the Zambian Airways colors.
Kenya Airways was formed in 1977 after the de solution of East African Airways comprising-Uganda,Tanzania and Kenya.It was started with about four planes and this by this time Zambia Airways was already in the skies,as of today this airline has 42 planes on their wings flying worldwide and doing connection flights.These are serious people who mean business and not jokers we have around here.The services on Kenya Airways are excellent and personnel are polite and helpful.Their Jomo Kenyatta International airway is under going expansion of the terminal and departure lounge.The true Pride of African Skies.
Very well informed about kenyan aviation and its enviable frenzied growth.Kenya is spending $600m on JKIA expansion thus widening the already huge lead they have on us.I don’t begrudge kenyans for their huge success and in fact i’m happy for them due to the dearth of commercial success stories in africa but i’m hurt that we in zambia are truly jokers.
The is also Mukuba airline to start soon pa zed.
This is a challenge to zambians you can’t give your business to your neighbour and say you are clever that is going backwards zambia needs its own colours in the air not kenya zambians need to mature you can’t depend on your neighbours what do you do when you differ with them,,
I disagree with your opinion. What’s wrong with trading with your neighbor? I know we are not direct neighbors, but we are closeby. My position is Africans need to trade and do business, and compete more with our fellow Africans. Theres Billions of Kwacha and Shillings to be made right here in Africa. I know every one loves their country and business, political, and ethnic rivalry has always existed, but i dont see why you guys cant have more of Kenya Airwaya while you’ve had (Western) foreign Airlines do business in your country for years without raising a finger. Also with the nature of International trade i dont see the problem in relying on your neighbor for some things, I think its actually been like that for ages. Its nothing new.
I agree Zambia needs to invest more in Air…
J , J your reasoning is not every good for zambia zambia has the capacity to run its airline you can’t celebrate when your neighbour takes over you house
@nshilimuemba
Not everything is all good in our African skies do not be deceived. Kenya Airlines is also suffering from shrinking cash inflows as its passenger base dwindles due to competition, operating costs are nonetheless rising as global fuel prices grows, compounded by high wage costs. It is also having problems with the unions who are blocking it from cutting back on staff. This may lead the company to take out debt to cover this financial gap. I’m talking of KA borrowing at least 30 billion Kenyan Shillings ($347 million). Are these the problems you guys are craving for? Let’s be realistic and get over your nostalgia and your misplaced national pride; there is no shame in not having a national airline. No shame at all.
WAKE UP people!!
Give it to the Kenyans. They have business acumen. Zambia and Kenya Airways were undergoing similar problems in the 90s. While Kenya explored ways of getting KQ out of the doldrums by partnering with the KLM, we took a stupidy short cut of liquidating QZ and yet KQs problems were even more serious than QZ’s.
They sure do have business in their blood.Other than kenya airways they have their banks,supermarkets and media companies invested all over east africa.
Am waiting for those Zambian folks who went big in announcing the formation of their budget airline with their oversees aviation partners. The longer you take, the more the market changes – already the dynamics on the Livingstone route are changing…
You can’t always be looking for your friends to take your children to school picking up your wife from work if you can also do the same for your family. Wisdom is learning from those who know it from a distance not just sitting and thinking you can’t do anything as for me if other people can do
Aba Ba Kenya wanatuweka kwa aibu sababu tunaonekana wajinga hatuna ndege zetu.Hata kampuni zetu za simu,supemarket na migodi zote ni za wageni.Aiibuuuu kwa wazambia kweli.
excellent African airline