Zambia Airways completes certification

Zambia Airways (AZB, Lusaka) has been granted an Air Operators Certificate (AOC) by the Zambia Civil Aviation Authority (ZCAA) in what is described as a game-changer for the country’s aviation scene. Zambian media reports Transport and Communications Minister Mutotwe Kafwaya presented the certificate to the nascent carrier on September 9, 2020. He emphasised his government had identified air transport as a key investment sector to encourage national economic development. “The establishment of the national airline and investments being made by the government in the transport sector are in line with the focus on the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP); and the national transport policy, which aims at transforming Zambia into a transport and logistics hub in the Southern African region,” Kafwaya said. He said Zambia’s aviation sector had been projected to grow 13% per year before the outbreak of COVID-19. Earlier this year, Kafwaya said the carrier’s launch had been pushed back as a result of the pandemic’s impact on aviation. Chief Executive Officer Bruk Endeshaw said certification was a key element for the airline to proceed with its operations. The carrier is a 55/45 venture between the state-owned Industrial Development Corporation and Ethiopian Airlines (ET, Addis Ababa). Its launch has been delayed several times since October 2018 and it has yet to formalise its fleet plans. Until now, privately-owned Proflight Zambia (P0, Lusaka) has enjoyed the lion’s share of the Zambian market plying the bulk of the country’s domestic routes as well as select international sectors, primarily to South Africa and Malawi.