Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest aviation giant, has joined forces with Industrial Development Corporation Limited (IDC), an African investment fund, to launch Zambia’s flag carrier. The initial capital is US$30 million: Ethiopian will own 45% of the shares, while IDC will hold the remaining 55%.
The first flight of Zambia Airways connected the cities of Lusaka and Ndola on December 1st. The airline will operate this route six times a week on its Bombardier Dash 8 fleet, which was delivered by Ethiopian.
Touchdown! We are in Ndola!
It’s a successful start to our daily schedule on the Lusaka – Ndola route.
Visit https://t.co/mBNgAKQbF2 to book today.#FlyZambiaAirways #ZambiaAirways #ReadyForTakeOff pic.twitter.com/QuHuaalExH
— Zambia Airways (@zambia_airways) December 1, 2021
Domestic routes will be added next, linking Mfuwe and Solwezi with Lusaka. Regional flights will begin in the first quarter of 2022 linking Johannesburg and Harare.
Tewolde GebreMariam, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, said, «This strategic partnership is part of our Vision 2025 strategy. Ethiopian is fully committed to its plan to partner with the growth of African airlines. New Zambia Airways will serve as a hub in Central and Southern Africa offering domestic, regional and eventually international air connectivity.»
Ethiopian’s strategy involves operating multiple logistics hubs on the African continent: it currently has existing hubs in Lome (Togo, where it operates jointly with ASKY Airlines), Malawian in Lilongwe (Malawi), Tchadia in N’Djamena (Chad), and Ethiopian Mozambique in Maputo (Mozambique). It also has shares in the national carriers of Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
