Zambia Airways is the flag carrier of the Republic of Zambia. The airline is based in Lusaka, Zambia with its hub at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport.
Originally, the airline was founded in April 1964. It was liquidated by the government in December 1994 due to political issues but revived again with the help of Ethiopian Airlines and the Zambian Industrial Development Corporation on December 1, 2021. The government took a 55% stake in the newly relaunched Zambia Airways with Ethiopian Airlines owning the remaining 45% of the shares. Ethiopian has planned to set up hubs all around the continent in a 15-year plan called Vision 2025 that will see it become the leading aviation group in Africa.
The new airline launched with flights from Lusaka to Ndola, and Livingstone from December 1 and adding on Solwezi, Harare, and Johannesburg to its network. In September 2023, the airline received its first jet engine aircraft, a 737-800, bringing the total number of fleet to two. Further expansion plans would see the airline aim to operate six aircraft: four Dash 8-400s and two B737-800s, and carry over 700,000 passengers by 2027.
History
Zambia Airways (1964–1967) On 1 January 1964, a reconstitution of Central African Airways (CAA) as the national airline of Southern Rhodesia, Zambia and Malawi led to the creation of three new national carriers, all of them wholly owned subsidiaries of CAA. Each of these airlines were relative autonomous but relied upon CAA's technical, managerial and financial assistance. Zambia Airways was established in April 1964. T. M. D. Mtine and R. P. Hartley were appointed as Zambia Airways' first chairman and general manager, respectively. Two Douglas DC-3s and three de Havilland DHC-2 Beavers three were transferred from CAA. The Beavers were intended to operate on domestic services under the premise that the revenue generated by these services would stay with the airline. On the other hand, the DC-3s would operate transborder flights. Operations started on 1 July 1964 serving the Salisbury–Kariba–Lusaka–Ndola–Kitwe run. In November of the same year, the Ndola–Elisabethville service, previously flown by CAA, was launched on a weekly basis. The domestic routes were generally unprofitable and they were supported by the profits generated with CAA's international operations.
In 1967, Alitalia was selected to run the airline after Zambia Airways's splitting from CAA later that year. Pan African Air Services and Flying Tiger Line also participated as bidders for the management contract. In July, a new airport was inaugurated in Lusaka. The same year, CAA was dissolved within months, and CAA's former subsidiary Zambia Airways became the state-owned national airline on 1 September 1967.
Zambia Airways Corporation (1967–1994) On 1 September 1967, following the Zambia Airways Act, which appointed the carrier to operate both domestically and internationally after the collapse of CAA, Zambia Airways Corporation was formed in order to take over Zambia Airways, the former CAA's subsidiary. Technical and management assistance was provided by Alitalia. The first general manager was Franceso Casale. Two BAC One-Eleven 400s that were originally ordered by CAA were delivered late in the year. Operations started on 1 January 1968 using BAC One-Eleven 400 aircraft and serving Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Zaire on the Lusaka–Ndola–Nairobi, which also called at Kinshasa, Blantyre, and Livingstone. A Douglas DC-8-43, on wet-lease from Alitalia, permitted the carrier to start, in November 1968, a service from Lusaka to London with intermediate stops at Nairobi and Rome. The introduction of this route doubled the length of Zambia Airways' network to . Mauritius was first served in November 1969.