TRANSPORT, Works, Supply and Communication Minister Yamfwa Mukanga has disclosed that some big international airlines have expressed interest to partner with Zambia on the reintroduction of the national airline.
Mr Mukanga, who declined to name the airlines as the matter was yet to be tabled before cabinet, said some big international air carriers were just waiting to partner with the country so that they could paint their planes in Zambian colours and employ local people.
He said other airlines were also interested in buying or financing the buying of new planes for the country.
Speaking in an interview in Livingstone, Mr Mukanga said the Government had learnt many lessons in the past and hence cabinet would assess all the options on the table and come up with the best decision on behalf of the Zambian people.
“We will be presenting a paper containing various options to cabinet soon so that a decision can be made.
“The Patriotic Front (PF) cabinet meets every week to make decisions and therefore the paper will be presented to cabinet this year,” he said.
Mr Mukanga said it would very interesting and good news to citizens to see Zambian colours in the sky.
He said the Government would look at the various proposals seriously as lessons had been learnt that documents should not be signed without reading.
“If you sign any document without reading, you may be signing your own death sentence.
“We will try to go through the various documents and ensure to get the very best option for the people of Zambia,” he said.
Mr Mukanga said there was need to examine how much money Zambia was currently loosing in the absence of the national airline and ensure that the country gained when the airline was reintroduced.
Well what can i say it’s to wait and see period!
Wait for 90 days?
international air carriers were just waiting to partner with the country so that they could paint their planes in Zambian colours and employ local people…
this will be another dochi kubeba, the assets will belong to the international air carriers and they will only use our flag for marketing or increasing the appeal to Zambian market, really PF has useless ministers. PF you need to come out in the open and leave the issue of governance to other capable Zambians
lol @ 142 – good answer!
Bravo!!! Bravismo!!! Very well….
Dr. Makasa, did you run-out of medication again?
Why dont you let educated people decide, we have a lot of Zambians who can make better and informed decisions.
I don’t think that useless MPs and ministers should be allowed to make such decisions.
Spot on!!
What was so wrong with partnering with SAA or Ethiopian Airways? We shall see what you botch-up this time…ati “big international airlines”, yaba!
@ KWAKU…..SAA is always in financial trouble and always waiting for government to bail it out. I am not for the idea of a national airline as this is an expensive venture…and now minister is talking about big airlines partnaring with zambia…..there is a catch here people…..nkongole…..running an airline involves leasing planes of which i see the four whatever airlines will do meaning they will be getting paid by us in running these planes…..look at this scenario to help you understand….i partnar with you i ‘buy’ you planes , paint them in your colours and say i just need 20 thousand a month from each plane…so regardless of whether you have a profit or not i get my 20 grant…..there is the problem….thats why SAA is in too much kak right now.
@Kwaku
Iwee mwebantu, are SAA and Ethiopian Airways not big international airlines?
Because SAA and ET will never accept to be partners in a airline which will be in direct competition with them on the routes to Europe or Asia.
@142, you cannot be in direct competition if you’re partners. For example Kenya Airways is in partnership with KLM-France Airlines which holds a major stake in Kenya Airways. These Airlines share codes because they have shared ownership. If I book to fly to Lusaka from Germany on Kenya Airways, for example, I may end up travelling on a KLM flight to Lusaka. And by the way the new Malawi Airlines is co-owned by Ethiopian Airlines. So don’t be surprised when you buy an Ethiopian Airlines ticket and end up on Malawian.
@ Goncalves
Air Malawi partnership with ET is LIMITED to regional/neighboring country traffic.
The “new” national carrier of Zambia, according to various press statements by the Government, it is expected to operate on direct routes to Europe and Asia.
KQ and KL partnership is not in direct competition with each other on ANY route out of Africa. As a matter of fact, EVERY flight by either airline is a code sharing flight.
The same cannot be said on Air Malawi and Ethiopian. Only flight segment to and from Malawi are code-sharing flights.
As you are well versed in economics of airlines, please can you clarify how SAA or ET (both Star Alliance Members) should benefit economically from proposed (?) partnership?
If that is a case, then why did you send “delegation” to Boeing and Airbus? To waste more money? Another directionless project which exist only for the purpose of depleting treasury?
They have no idea what they are doing merely want to create an airline for the wrong selfish reasons!!
I cant,t wait to see our national colors on Air Zambia at KKIA.Detractors please leave alone with our development plans.
Would be great if they fixed up that airport before planes!
I am sure we have architects that can design something better than the barracks there right now.
By the way, is the “presumed big international airline” also going to pay outstanding terminal benefits from defunct QZ?
”… international air carriers were just waiting to partner with the country so that they could paint their planes in Zambian colours and employ local people…” Minister
this will be another dochi kubeba, the assets will belong to the international air carriers and they will only use our flag for marketing or increasing the appeal to Zambian market, really PF has useless ministers. PF you need to come out in the open and leave the issue of governance to other capable Zambians
Ba Mukanga when are we going to stop the talk and walk the talk? We have heard such statements a zillion times. By the way are you sticking to your deadline for the establishment of the much-talked about flag carrier?
What is a flag carrier?
National Airline which by its virtue of been “National” enjoys reciprocal treatment with other “National Airline”
rumour has it it will be named Chibolia airlines
Strange way of investing, how come you will not own the assets, but just the painting of planes in the national colors. Another Dochi Kubeba approach to national matters
Is everyone having it difficult to post on this website
How come you will not own the assets Mr Mukanga, that is not investment. Please ask for help if you do not know what to do
This fooli$h man won’t give up will he!! There no shame in dropping this utterly ridiculous costly idea….it shows good leadership.
Mr Mukanga said it would very interesting and good news to citizens to see Zambian colours in the sky —- and a HUGE hole of DEBT back on the ground!
Useless PF, leave business to businessmen. You have proved you are not even competent to have the Constitution delivered to State House, so how can you deliver passengers and freight?
The Zambian government [not PF government] must first come up with the ideal specifications, before considering the offers before us. Otherwise, this govt will be susceptable to impulse-buying of the ‘salaula’ type of acquisition, which venture might be regreted later on!
Transport, Works, Supply and Communication Minister Yamfwa Mukanga has disclosed that…. “lessons had been learnt that documents should not be signed without reading.”
LOL! Sure boss? Read what you sign….. gosh, that sounds like an amazing idea. And he goes on….
“If you sign any document without reading, you may be signing your own death sentence. We will try to go through the various documents” he said.
Even better….. not only is the Minister is “learning” to read what he signs, he even promises to “try” reading first! Fabulous, who could ask more from Government? Just when I was worried Mukanga might be one of useless ones in PF, now I can cross him off the list along with Kambwili.
Even good things are bad for some of you,shame. Go mr minister and shame them so that when you start campaigns,you will be just saying we have done this,that and that other than we wanted to do this and that. If that is done, then the opposition will have to wait a little longer……kekekekekekekekekeke Iyi e premier league ya pa ZD
Why are we Zambians so negative. The fact that Zambia Airways collapsed does not mean that we should forget about another try. If your first child dies are you going to abandon trying for another? Failure can bear success if you analyse carefully why you failed in the first attempt. Looking at it economically, Zambia now has no direct flier to London the world’s centre of commerce and this is a serious disadvantage in the flow of goods and traffic which is occasioning us a major loss in time and revenue in our operations. Therefore, a national air line is inevitable which ever way you look at it. By the way if all our neighbours have their own airlines how wiser does it make us not to have one? National Airlines go beyond just profits but symbols of national pride hence their colours.
Jill, if your first child dies on account of dumping negligently you might find it hard to find a trustworthy man who will accept your story and help you try for another one! If there is undue political infusion into this I have my doubts that any sane investor will come on board. While you may think the collapse of Zambia Airways was a pure management matter (which it wasn’t as there were even viable rescue strategies in place), the mere fact that government fronts the investment and may be dictates to by the likes of IMF or similar in crunch time makes me cringe at the very thought.
There are happy single people who have refused to have any kids. I think we must let this one be, too.
It is difficult for me to trust statements made by ministers who have been said to be USELESS.
Thanks guys but my take on this is simple – SAA and EA are “big” african international airlines. Partner with them, they are in international Alliances which we can feed using cost-effective medium range aircraft and share the spoils; there was NO NEED for QZ to fly to JFK or FFM etc where the really big guns with huge fleets flirt – too prestigeous…wonder where Capt Mulundika is? Even on communications why can’t SADC put up OUR OWN satellites foot-printed directly on SADC? We need to start with overseeable and manageable projects!
@ kwaku
Spot on. Based on that, there are only two airlines which may be interested, Etihad and Qatar airlines. But then, new Zambian airline shall be limited to be feeder airline for its big partner.
@142, I would feel very comfortable if I learned that you are on the think tank for ushering in the airline. You are very factual, knowledgeable and reasonable on this subject (like most others I have observed).
@142, I specifically mean on most other subjects at hand… Makes blogging worth the while.
@ Kalok
People like me, with more than three decades of airline and airline related experience outside Zambia, are not welcomed for the simple reasons:
a) we are not affiliated to no party,
b) we are quite well-off and therefore not subject to political pressure and
c) we are professional independent technocrats which are not afraid to express theirs independent opinion.
Useless minister indeed.
Well the good thing is with the way these chaps are dull, useless, clueless and lack strategic planning skills not to mention being broke (although unfortunately chikwanda will rush to get a loan) this project will not get off the ground before 2016 and thankfully we will have kicked them out and shelved this id!otic project by then.
all this smacks of dreams, BA abandoned flights to Zed because route proved un-profitable, guess Zed presents profitable prospect in light of BA pull out to sme airlines????
negotiate meaningful contracts.
I thought parliament will have the final say on this issue. Yes we need an airline to fly the Zambian flag but we must not create a “Sink” (drain of tax payers money). We need to manage it prudently, cadres should be limited to sweepers and tea makers not even air stewards and hostesses get good/well trained personnel if the deal; goes through all the right processes. No shortcuts please.
Just call it Salaula Airlines since this one will be a throw away venture initiated by a useless govt.
“…international air carriers were just waiting to partner with the country so that they could paint their planes in Zambian colours and employ local people…”
THIS IS WHAT YOU CALL DREAMING OF THE IMPOSSIBLE AND CHE.ATING! “…waiting for cabinet to table the issue…” CHE.ATING ALL THE WAY!!!!
“The Patriotic Front (PF) cabinet meets every week to make decisions and therefore the paper will be presented to cabinet this year,” he said. VERY VAGUE STATEMENT!!!
GRZ building yet another tower of babel and it’ll come to ruin.Which company has ever been run efficiently and sustainably grown into a viabe venture thru GRZ stewardship? Zamtel,ZR,Zambia airways…..none.
under the current scenario i fear for rrexruitments of an entire clan