Zambia Airways made its maiden flight landing at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare this morning becoming the latest of several international and regional aircrafts connecting with Zimbabwe.
The aircraft will service the Lusaka-Harare route three times a week as the company seeks to expand its regional presence in pursuit of carrying 1.9 million passengers annually by 2028.
Speaking at the launch, Transport and Infrastructural Development Deputy Minister Mike Madiro said the development will strengthen travelling between the two neighbors.
“We are grateful to the Zambia Airways, Airports Company of Zimbabwe, the aeronautical authority of Zimbabwe and the whole aviation industry in Zimbabwe for this smart collaboration which has made this occasion a success,” said Madiro.
Zambia Airways recently secured the long-awaited foreign operator permit and announced plans to introduce regional flights before the end first quarter this year.
Plans to debut regional services in July last year were affected by delays in securing its FOP, a situation eventually resolved when Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema stepped in to negotiate on the airline’s behalf with his regional counterparts.
Zambia Airways is a joint venture between Ethiopian Airlines and the Zambian government through the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC)
Zambia Airways currently operates two DHC-8-Q400s owned by Ethiopian Airlines on domestic routes from the capital Lusaka to Livingstone, Ndola and Solwezi.
