Zambia Airways Board Chairperson man Bonaventure Mutale says the airline intends to launch their first ever African regional flight in Johannesburg in the next eight to ten weeks.
This came to light at Solwezi airport today during the launch of Zambia Airways new route from Lusaka to Solwezi.
“Zambia Airways has promised this country to be the captain of success in realizing efficient air transport industry that this country deserves”, Mr. Mutale said.
He said the airline plans to extend its services to other provincial centers such as Mansa, Luapula, Kasama and Mongu in due course.
“I would also like to confirm that until scheduled flights are launched in these provincial centers, Zambia Airways will be operating special flights to all parts of the country,” Mr. Mutale said.
He also stated the airline will avail special flights to the Kusefya Pan’gwena, Umutomboko and Likumbi lya Mize traditional ceremonies as they did for the Nc’wala in a bid to promote culture.
Gracing the launch, Transport and Logistics Minister, Frank Tayali said the new route will act as a driver for the growth of the region.
Mr. Tayali said the extension to Solwezi marks an important validation of government’s belief in Public-Private Partnership.
“The expansion to Solwezi marks an important validation of the new dawn government’s belief in, and use of Public-Private Partnership to deliver infrastructure and public services,” he said.
Mr. Tayali said through the partnership with the Ethiopian Airlines Group, the country is synergizing to tap on the business model that helped Ethiopian Airlines to be in the top five of world airlines.
The Minister highlighted the huge and untapped potential the country has in the aviation sector as it is naturally situated to be an aviation hub.
“The new dawn government has a strong belief that the new Zambia Airways plays a significant role in the process of enabling Zambia to be the aviation hub of the region and beyond,” Mr. Tayali said.
Meanwhile, North-western Province Minister, Robert Lihefu said the coming of the flight is great news as it will create jobs and boost the economic activities for the local people.
Mr. Lihefu has since appealed to the management of the airline to consider local people as first priority for job opportunities.
Pf legacy
UPND criticized it then
HE NEEDS A BIGGER CHAIR
PF SHOULD HAVE CHECKED THE SEATING
BUT I SUPPOSE THAT^ WAS THE LAST THING ON THEIR MIND
MOOLA WAS MORE IMPORTANT
Tayali please breath in lest that seat disintegrates, and tosote twaba kapaso for the hostess have not been redesigned even after my outcry
The message is very clear in that Tayali picture. Those fat Zambians feeding on junk food like Hungry Lion should get it.
This is not their airline! Period
This airline should never have taken off now its competiting with local airlines.
Well done ba New dawn government.
But the airline uniform looks ugly and VIP section design not up international standards.
GIVE IT A YEAR THEN
LIKE PF WILL BE BEGGING FOR MORE FUNDS
This is supposed to a budget airline and it already has VIP seats …no wonder these airlines dont take off or succeed…so if some seats are VIPs what does that make the other seats? …definitely sticking to my Kenya Airlines
Give Frank Tayali 12 months his backside will need two of those seats to accomodate him!
abbort mumbwe – That interior can be made at Soweto market by Zambian designers that aircraft still belongs to Ethopian Airlines …for the money you spent if you were serious you would have leased those jets or better propped up the local airlines.
Already giving away free tickets as they struggle to find bums on seats
Ethiopians are like Chinese also, they invest and send their own people as labourers again. The quicker ZA moves to independent itself, the better. I see this deal tilted more to Ethiopians-alo we are Zambian and we want Zambian private shareholding in this cow.
Great move and thanks to the new dawn government for this milestone
Step Aside-Silently – Of course its tilted to EA its routing passengers to Addis at the expense of KKIA…what these politicans dont realise about running 24/7 International airports is that you have to make passengers stay a bit longer to send some forex in your airport, This is a rotten deal to the core..you dont have the aircraft to go it alone,..they have their engineers and management, we just pretend to run it.
Where did they get this thing that they will be flying, looks outdated?
#15 Tarino Orange. I was always against it from the beginning. The idea that because other countries have national airline can not be a reasonable reason to start your own. Because someone has Merc I should also have one… without considering maintenance costs.
Since when and show me the facts that Ethiopian air is in the top 5 airlines in the world don’t believe it maybe the top 5 in Africa
Opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema has criticized government’s move to relaunch Zambia Airways describing the decision as a waste of tax payers money.
And Mr Hichilema has accused those pushing for the relaunch of Zambia Airways of planning to use the airline to bring in drugs, money laundering activities and corruption.