GOVERNMENT has been holding talks with various aviation stakeholders to realise its plan of the long-awaited national airline by mid this year.
Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication Yamfwa Mukanga said Government has been engaging plane manufacturing companies such as Airbus and Boeing and other partners on the development of the airline.
Mr Mukanga said in an interview that Government has since constituted the Civil Aviation Authority Board to pave way for the establishment of the airline.
He said the project has not stalled as perceived by some sectors of society but has advanced.
“We are on course and by June, the national airline will be up and running,” he said.
Mr Mukanga said the Civil Aviation Authority Board is expected to appoint an executive director to oversee the operation of the airline.
He said Government is also looking at engaging an equity partner so that the airline could be established under public, private partnership (PPP).
When asked why the establishment of the airline has delayed, Mr Mukanga “setting up an airline is not like buying a car, there is a lot involved but we are on course,” he said.
this govt is full of nothing but experiments, deceit and every hood of evil. what sort of govt is this? national airline when bigger and more experienced airliunes like BA, Ethiopia, Emirates to mention a few are struggling and where is the money going to come from? yaaaabaaa, chimbwi no plan
You can grow enough maize to feed people and now you think you can start an airline….
I meant can’t grow enough maize
#2.2 YOU ARE WASTING TIME RESPONDING TO MYOPIC FUULS, MAN! MOST ZAMBIAN OVERSEAS ARE TERRIBLE FUULS. THEY CAN’T SEE BEYOND THE NSIMA. THEY CAN’T EVEN SEE THE ECONOMIC REPALL EFFECT.
So you consider Ethiopia Airlines to be a big airline? Well that says a lot about some of us Zambians. Where was Ethiopian Airline when Captain Mulundika was flying Zambia Airways to JFK airport. So what is it that countries like Ethiopia or even Namibia have that we don’t have in Zambia. My guess is that citizens in the two countries have positive altitude towards what is theirs. It is time as Zambians that we changed our mind sets and learn to appreciate what is ours.
whether we like it or not WE are a poor country. We clearly do not have the money to run an airline. Your by elections are funded on borrowed money and you think your airline will be funded on…? Even though you disliked RB? He managed to maintain the economy.
You are right. I actually doubt if that national airline will have the capacity to compete with well established airlines like Emirates. Zambia Airways was a loss making company kept afloat by tax payers money. PF govt wants to take the same road. With the inadequate resources we have at the moment, this is another misplaced priority. Already there are signs that Zamtel is struggling to compete with MTN and Airtel. Zamtel’s market share is actually not growing. The PF govt should have given incentives to the private sector to set up airlines and other companies. The govt should then collect taxes and provide social services to the citizens. Zambians, especially in the rural areas, have no access to education and health services. This new airline will not add value to them.
So when is Ethiopian Airways and BA going to close? Do you know? Why are you trying to be negative on such matters. The Minister says “Its not like buying a car”. You think these guys are not looking at costs. By the way the Minister is an Engineer and not merely a politician like most of these other guys. Its is not only important to have a National Airline but it is also for security reasons. A lot happens on this earth and you might need to evacuate your nationals who might be stack in another region. The Airport is being expanded. An airline in Tanzania is opening up a line into Zambia. You can’t see the bigger picture in these areas?
@Sakhile
Yamfwa Mukanga is not a smart engineer for lack of words he is an educated f@ol. Do you know what an educated fo@l is? It is a person that is filled with book knowledge but is lacking in “common sense” we have a lot of them in Zambia eg Bob Schinga; any engineer worth his salt will tell you that this not a priority – invest in infrastructure. There is absolutely no concrete data that suggests that creating a national airline promotes tourism.
By the way don’t judge people by their qualifications judge them by what is coming out of their mouths and sadly Mr. Yamfwa Mukanga is an embarrassment to whatever engineers association he subscribes to…even his boss Sata knows it.
Wake UP for Christ’s sakes!!
Bravo, Hon Minister! Any omissions can also be rectified constantly to guarantee efficiency and productivity. The name must be selected by public contests.
Of all the complexities about creating an airline you are more interested in the name….wake up from your docility!!
Why secrecy. It is not PF money which has been used. Taxpayers should know how their money has been spent
One group that may be interested in forming an airline in Zambia is Fastjet (www.fastjet.com) – it aims to form a “pan-African” network with bases in different African cities. At the moment, Fastjet has a base in Dar Es Salaam but it aims to start an airline based in Lusaka, Zambia but it has only a minority-stake while it has a majority Zambian own interest. Fastjet management has past experience in managing low-cost airlines in the West including the highly successful easyJet and Go (once owned by British Airways). Unlike past airlines in Zambia, this may be a “different take” on forming an airline in Zambia and it may well succeed.
Fastjet is a budget airline meaning it has a lean- low cost business model and will cater for local routes whereas your gov’t wants to create an airline for the opposite reasons ie Job creation, servicing international routes and misplaced national pride.
This sector is very costly industry…we do not need a national airline its not a necessity?
I thought the CAA is supposed to regulate Aviation in Zambia and not appoint or form an airline?What happens to Proflight & other airlines if the CAA will be biased to the National Airline?
Right on Ngosa…the Minister doesn’t know the role of the CAA for sure even the man heading the CAA now was appointed he was at National Airports what do you expect instead of advertising that position info has it Boeing is doing a Business plan for the Govt my foot Boeing is a supplier of equipment please let the experts handle this issue its like RTSA Director appointing a CEO for national bus carrier that’s what the Minister is telling the Nation when he says CAA appoints the Director of the National Airline PF seems to be in a hurry with an Airline why can’t they sit with Proflight and the one i read about called Mukuba Airlines these are Zambian Companies owned by Zambians & wont pull out like BA
Another hare-brained scheme without proper analysis of its implications. What’s wrong with this government? How are you going to set up, let alone sustain a national airline when you can’t even run an Air Force with a total of seven planes? Two helicopters; two fighter jets, two transport planes and one presidential plane. Just leasing one Boeing 777 or one Air Bus 300 series will cost you the equivalent of running your entire army and Air Force, so stop dreaming and wasting our time and continue doing what you do best: fighting amongst yourselves. At least that will keep us entertained until we kick your butts out of office in 2016.
You are very dull.
very very dull
Spot on….this is stupidity of the highest order if one of these ministers was in arms length I would slap him so he/she wakes up!!
Honestly how can you even comtemplate creating an airline when your 2014 budget is already running in deficit. Where are your priorities? You are overspending on everything just a reckless regime leaving huge debts on our grandchildren’s heads….”Rich people are rich becuase the spend like they are broke and the poor are broke because they spend like the are rich”.
I hope Minister Mukanga was just misquoted by a semi-illiterate journalist. Ngosa you are right, a CAA does not oversee the operations of an airline nor can it pave the way for the establishment of an airline. The CAA’s main role is to perform regulatory and oversight functions related to civil aviation just like you have ZICTA regulating mobile phone companies such as MTN, Air-tel and Zamtel. So in the case of the CAA, it will regulate airlines operating in Zambia, including foreign ones, and the National Airports Corporation operated aerodromes/airports. It will address safety and security concerns related to the country’s civil aviation, including certification of aircraft and airline personnel.
this is much needed as we need some more competition on local routes, you can’t expect emirates ,sa airways to take you kitwe ,kabwe or where ever if you need to do business….. international routes are a different story but it would be nice to know i could fly to angola or drc direct.
we’ve only got one major local airline if they go bust we’re in trouble. PPP is the way to go as i don’t trust some of these chaps in goverment
So you expect to compete with Emirates on what?FYI that emirates you see has a lean business model and enjoys unrestricted night flying at its base and cheap fuel. You have no idea how expensive it is to run an airline….ask Proflight. You can not afford to create an airline just invest the monies in farming or solar power…stop day dreaming.
Wake up!!
He said Government is also looking at engaging an equity partner so that the airline could be established under public, private partnership (PPP).
A PPP May be can work to compete for lines and customer services on major air port terminals without being relegated and forced out by differentiated competition line the Angolan air line as seen on one major air port pushed in the corner and not seen given thin margins and still competition and massive capital requirements with rapid changes in fleets
For air port KK a build and transfer might be ideal and may be a shorter viable option and less costly
KK international airport a build operate and eventually transfer with carefully worded clauses can be a quicker and cheap way given constraints
A PPP or the line with options to do an IPO on Luse to cement and allow operations long-term