Zambia Airways obtains its air operator certificate
Zambia Airways takes one more step towards starting operations. The future national company obtained its air operator certificate (CTA) on September 9. The announcement was made by Minister of Transport and Communications, Mutotwe Kafwaya.
“The establishment of the national airline and the investments made by the government in the transport sector are in line with the emphasis on the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP); and the national transport policy which aims to transform Zambia into a transport and logistics hub in the southern African region, ”Kafwaya said.
However, the launch of activities is unlikely this year given the current context marked by the Covid-19 pandemic which is severely affecting the air transport sector.
Under the shareholder agreement signed in August 2018, Ethiopian Airlines holds a 45% stake while 55% is owned by the Industrial Development Corporation (SDI), an investment arm of the Zambian government.
The country no longer has a national company since 1995 after the liquidation of the defunct Zambia Airways, founded in 1964. From its base in Lusaka, the future carrier aims for a fleet of 12 planes by 2028. Its network will include in one first domestic and regional services and later flights to the rest of Africa, Europe and Asia.
According to local media which recently quoted the general manager of the airline, Bruk Endeshaw-Abebe - seconded from Ethiopian Airlines in 2019 -, Zambia Airways could gradually operate Dash-8, Boeing 737-800 and 787 Dreamliner. It also aims to introduce either the Airbus A220 or the Embraer E-jet E2.
Once launched, Zambian Airways will become Ethiopian Airlines’s fifth operational strategic partnershipon the continent. The Ethiopian national company holds, in fact, 20% of the shares in Togo-based Asky and 49% of the shares in Malawian Airlines. More recently, it acquired 49% of shares in Tchadia Airlines which started its operations in October 2018, and 100% in Ethiopian Mozambique Airlines.
