Africa’s largest airline Ethiopian Airlines announced the final preparation for the launch of Zambia’s national carrier — in a joint venture with Industrial Development Corporation Limited (IDC).
In the proposed joint venture, Ethiopian Airlines will take a 45 percent stake in the joint venture while Industrial Development Corporation Limited (IDC) retains 55 percent.
The shareholders have contributed $30 million in capital towards the establishment of the airline.
The brand-new Zambia Airways inaugurated operations with its initial domestic flight from Lusaka, Zambia to Ndola, Zambia, today. The airline will operate six times a week and five times a week to Ndola and Livingstone, Zambia, respectively.
Other domestic routes to Mfuwe, Zambia and Solwezi, Zambia will follow before introducing regional destinations, to Johannesburg, South Africa and Harare, Zimbabwe to its network within the first quarter of 2022.
Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, remarked, “The strategic equity partnership in the launching of Zambia’s national carrier is part of our Vision 2025 multiple hub strategy in Africa. Ethiopian is committed to its growth plan in collaboration with African carriers and the new Zambia Airways will serve as a strong hub in Central and Southern Africa availing domestic, regional and eventually international air connectivity for passengers and cargo to the major destinations in the Middle East, Europe and Asia, which will enhance the socio-economic integration and tourism industry in Zambia and the region.”
The Ethiopian Airlines Group
As part of the Ethiopian Airlines Group, Zambia Airways can now offer its customers an expanded route network with more destinations and better connections.
Ethiopian will also plan to start a new carrier in Kinshasa — the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — with a fleet of 10 aircraft. The carrier will be named Air Congo.
“We just signed [an agreement] with the government of DRC, which owns 51% of the airline and 49% is with us. The fleet will comprise De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400s, Boeing 737s and two 787s,” GebreMariam said, earlier in October.
Ethiopian Airlines has further strategic partnerships with ASKY in Togo on the west coast of Malawian Airlines in southern Africa and Chad-based Tchadia Airlines in north-central Africa. Ethiopian also has a management contract with Ceiba Intercontinental in Equatorial Guinea.
“The driver for such a group of airlines is not the return on investment. It is to support our hub Addis Ababa,” Gebremariam added. “We want to expand inter-African routes further, because the connectivity [within the continent] is still not well. Ethiopian Airlines is like the Lufthansa Group of Africa. Lufthansa has airlines like SWISS, Austrian etc.”
Ethiopian also has its own-brand airline in Mozambique but was forced to stop operations in May 2021 as a result of the pandemic. “Our airline in Mozambique will come back. But the country itself has big challenges even beyond COVID-19,” Gebremariam said.
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