Proflight Zambia has launched a new service direct from Lusaka to Kalabo in Western Province, only 70km’s from Mongu.
Commencing on March 15, 2017, the new route Lusaka-Kalabo-Lusaka will be operated twice weekly on Wednesday and Saturday mornings by a Cessna Caravan with a capacity of eight passengers.
“Kalabo can be used as a gateway to the Western Province for both business and leisure. It is also ideal for accessing Liuwa Plains, the upper Zambezi and surrounding areas in Mongu,” said Proflight Director of Government and Industry Affairs Captain Philip Lemba.
“The flight schedule will operate between March to June and October to December to begin with; these dates coincide with the preferred times to visit Liuwa Plains for the wildebeest migration,” he added.
Flights will depart from Lusaka at 08:15hrs on Wednesdays and Saturdays to arrive in Kalabo at 10:45hrs, and return from Kalabo at 11:05hrs, to arrive in Lusaka at 13:35hrs providing connections onto Livingstone, Lusaka and Mfuwe tourism connections, Ndola and Solwezi business connections, and international connections including Proflight to Lilongwe, and flights operated by South African Airways, Kenya Airways and Emirates Airlines.
“It was with great disappointment that Proflight cancelled schedule services to Western Province in 2014 but the demand on the Lusaka/ Mongu route was very low and we were unable to sustain the route. We are very pleased to announce that we are now going back into the Western Province by offering a Lusaka/ Kalabo schedule flight,” said Capt. Lemba,
“With the increased tourism demand in Liuwa Plains National Park and a new lodge opening in April 2017 the support of the international tourism market allows us to combine the two markets. To compensate for the travel distance between Kalabo and Mongu we will have reduced fares for the local business market and hope that with these fares we are able to build up this route over time.”
Fares can be viewed and booked on the airline’s website at www.flyzambia.comor by calling the reservations team on 0211 252452/476; 0977335563; email: [email protected]. Payments can be made online with credit or debit cards or PayPal, at Proflight offices, Shoprite stores countrywide, Airtel Money and MTN Mobile Money.
This is ‘fwantastic’ news, this is what l want to hear and NOT ma everyday politics. You guys in Zed don’t realise you’re sitting on a luxurious Gold mine in the name of TOURISM.
As l write this, l am FROZEN here in this land of the azungu. I tell you guys that the moment these guys here learn about such, you will not handle them, they will come into Zambia like flies and bring in the much talked about “folex”…
@Nkope Shinyenga: Well said, our journalists don’t realize that their S.tu.pid reporting of poverty and rubbish politics just overshadows the good things Zambia has. We are a country with most national parks in Africa yet we don’t come close to Kenya. Copper and ZRA, have made Zambian leadership lazy. All they think is income either from copper or Revenue collection. We can make a lot more with Tourism. Moreover, as a country, has goodwill of being a safe, no crime, democratic and stable country in Africa. Well done Proflight…
Congrats to Proflight. With foresight, Kalabo should be like Maun in Botswana, an international tourist gateway to the northern tourist circuit of Botswana. From what I have seen on Discovery, I am surprised Liuwa (with a wildebeest migration second only to Serengeti) is not that well known. Please persevere and there will be rick pickings when this route takes off.
Back Teeth Lungu, I like your name
Thanks. I feel like an African dracula who wants to draw blood.
Mzamaeng 4 maLozi! Apuu, nisa hupula sinamunungu tuna cwana ni “msiyaleng 4 maLozi” yasona, nesi nahana kuli mukwa Namatindi kumu buluka mwa Lusaka kipeto haana ku itila kanti ki mbwashula! Neba mutu uzwa kwa Kasana kapa kwa Chipata kaufela kipeto ki “msiyaleng 4 maLozi”. Buloi tuna bwasona sinamalyanga sani sesi sa tungunyunwi fa libizo! Sikaiseleze!
Good move, easy route into Angola for business as well.
just wondering how many lozis will be using that service
sansakuwa,I can’t understand anything.Are you angry or did you smoke..what tobacco? Are you a memeber of the green party?
This is good although air transport is still for the elite in Zambia. It must be affordable to the middle class. That is how it is in the USA. We must move between between Provinces by air!!
The bridge to Kalabo is mostly used by cyclists…i see this route being declared economically unsustainable after 6 months unless someone knows something I dont…
Try watching Bush Pilots programme on Discovery or Animal Planet. This type of route may not be for ordinary Zambians because of lack of money or interest. More Zambians want to go to London or Durban for holidays than to game parks. Developing tourism in Liuwa would be for elite travellers, willing to spend thousands of dollars for a trip of a lifetime. Kalabo would have to be developed as a centre for small charter flights that can take visitors to lodges in the game park. A lot advertising and support facilities will have to accompany this. It is a long term play.
You don’t have to be an economist to know that this route will be economically unviable due lack of Economies of Scale because of the inverse relationship between the total number of passengers & per-passenger fixed costs. The greater the number of passengers, the lower the per-passenger fixed cost since these costs are spread out over a larger number of passengers. With eight (8) seater plane, expect the fare for each passenger to be equal to half the cost of each flight schedule. At least a sixty seater would have been ideal to accommodate people of Kalabo & entire Western Province also, not flying Ba Zungus only although there is nothing wrong with Ba Zungus. No wonder Lusaka – Mongu route failed. Flight travel should affordable to every Zambian.