The government will soon start attaching the Zambia Air force (ZAF) pilots and aircraft technicians to Zambia Airways once the national airline is launched in order to help the officers to enhance their skills.
Speaking during the commemoration parade to mark 10 000 accident-free flying hours from January to December 2020 in Lusaka Defense Minister Davies Chama said that this will be done through a program that ZAF has embarked on to empower its personnel.
The Minister said attaining the 10 000 accident-free flying hours is an indicator of increased operational efficiency and increased flight safety adherence by ZAF officers.
Mr. Chama has since assured ZAF and other defense wings of government support in ensuring that they have the necessary equipment to defend the country.
Speaking at the same event, ZAF commander Lieutenant General David Muma said the air force will continue to defend the country’s airspace against all domestic and foreign elements through various air operations.
“The increased flying effort is as a result of command’s objective to carry out the Air Force mandate in full; conduct of military operations, aid to civil authorities and training of aircrew, conveyance of WIPs/VIPs with particular emphasis on good management and best aviation safety practices,” Lt Gen David Muma said.
He said the 10, 000 accident-free flying hours milestone has only been achieved owing to the concerted effort made by both the aircrew, ground support crew, and all ZAF personnel in ensuring maximum aviation safety.
Meanwhile, ZAF chief operations Brigadier General Willam Lungu said the expansion and growth strategy for the air force has helped to achieve the 10 thousand accident-free flying hours.
Sinizakachikwerako I’ll be using SAA
My favourite minister
I will never use this airline. I hope Ethoipian partners object to using zaf personnel. Indonesia in the 1970s fused airforce pilots into national airline with disastrous accidents. There is a vast difference between a commercial pilot and airforce pilot. Let them continue flying Lungu. Gabon disaster comes to mind.
The debt crisis is unrecognized. I think the bondholders hv good information and that’s why they spurned the request for one more dance from Zambia.
Here we go again trying to do things on the cheap using slave labour…what training can military personnel achieve from flying civilian aircraft apart from customer service? Your liability cover is also void as a passenger I mean who do you sue …ZAF. They promised you jobs now they are abusing our military staff again…where is the $30 million that dull moron Brian wasted into this airline? If you kept that you would have used it to pay for EUROBOND which you defaulted. We told you foooooools to shelf this national airline madness but still carried on…anyway fooooools will be foooooools,
You never saw them using ZNS engineers on all those billion dollar contracts to enhance their training because they wanted to pocket all the monies…now here they want to use military personnel to work on commercial aircraft….any way Davis Chama is one dull individual also like Bo Lubinda is a holder of a Diploma in Agriculture in a very high profile ministry …he is clueless of the legal implications of his foolish statements; he should watch
Air Crash Investigation on National Geographic channel and see how they examine the wrecks and official records, and hear from eyewitnesses, passengers and aviation experts as they reconstruct some of the most tragic disasters in aviation history….I am surprised the Directors at this national airline getting paid from last year have not…
But why even disclose this? And he’s someone’s favourite minister!
lol
Wrong. Fighter Pilots don’t do well on commercial flights. Whoever is suggesting this doesn’t know what they are talking about. I’m sure they are thinking if a taxi driver can drive a taxi then they should be able to handle a big bus. No no no a fighter pilot needs to be combat ready and must be trained on equipment whose performance is totally different from a commercial plane.
Mubambe Tutu Shimette get your facts right not all pilots in ZAF are fighter pilots. Take for instance MA60 it’s not a fighter aircraft…but a commercial plane and its there in in ZAF
Mubambe Tutu Shimette ZAF has transport pilots. Most of these local airlines have employed some retired airforce pilots. Do your research.
Do your research it’s not the skills I’m questioning it’s the culture. Research has shown that fighter pilots or military personnel don’t do well in a commercial setup to such an extent that some crashes were attributed to the kind of training the two types of pilots receive and their ability to make decisions in emergency situations. In the military people follow commands and that is engrained, now taking such a person in a commercial setup is not advisable. Unless they go rigorous cultural transformation but what this article says is that “they will be attached” which means they are being seconded and that’s not a good approach.
Papa God what in the world are these people thinking. Milary personnel cannot be flying passenger planes. It is dangerous get some commercial pilots instead. You want to kill people
And IATA will approve this ?Sir you need a license to handle Civil Aircraft and IATA won’t allow this madness
Less taxes, MORE MONEY IN YOUR POCKET, MORE JOBS. IS THIS WHAT MORE JOBS MEAN, IT ACTUALLY MEANS MORE JOBS FOR THE SAME PAY.
Does this Katangese ***** know what disaster he is creating here? It took another Katangese fool called Ben Mwila as defence minister to create the Gabon disaster. In Katange where these baboons come from, airplanes fail to get airborne and crash because of overloading. This is the standard this apes are trying to bring to Zambia, pure Zairianization!
This will be good
@1 Bright Kapizo Daka, have even ever seen an inside of a plane. You go to Joburg by bus mwise muponte pali national airline. Ati kupusa basi
This worked well in the past when our defense forces were full of deciplined people. Those too young to remember, most of the pilots who flew QZ came from ZAF including the man who became it’s MD captain Godfrey Mulundika(MHSRIP). QZ trained it’s own pilots and engineers who went on to fly other carriers across the globe when the airline became defunct. The men in uniform these days are not as disciplined as those galant men who made sure QZ was maintained at the highest standard. Nkwazi flew everywhere but returned home safely.
Do you know why they were disciplined? Because they received a good education. Nowadays with exam leaks allover people don’t have self discipline and are therefore casual with everything they do as they are always looking for shortcuts.
This is typical Chimbwi No Plan. Zambia Airways starts without a budget then starts scrounging around for resources. If you don’t have a plan don’t start anything1
Dream ! dream! dream!
FutureZed – It worked well because in those days we didnt have trained civilian pilots and most captains then were retired from ZAF. PF takes Zambians for fooooools you will see come 2021 fuel which is low on the market will be reduced, loadshedding will disappear as they will stop exporting power and a new airline will be launched ….they will come knocking on your door uninvited smiling saying look what we have done after stealing from you all these years.
More jobs for our people. Only a dog like the one commenting above can see negativity in this. Mwana wambuya
@ 1 and 3.
Be told that most of the Zambia Airways pilots where from ZAF and they were extremely good at flying the planes. Be informed also that QZ was the best airline in the southern region of Africa inclusive of South Africa. The judges weren’t Zambian or Africans but the whites if that is what you want to hear.
By the way ba Chama I am and many others sick and tired of using other airlines that take you round the world. When are you guys launching our QZ?
We can’t wait to have our QZ back.
Endless developmental and empowerment projects are happing across the country. God Bless Lungu and his government.
They provide security to Zambia and our government provides security to them!
They are the real heroes of this country. Zambia’s Aviation is upgrading by our government.
Great efforts needed to achieve 10, 000 accident-free flying hour milestone. Appreciable!!!
I think we are blessed to have Mr. Lungu as our leader. No other leader can be like him.
Do ICAO and IATA rules and regulations allow what the PF party regime is planning to do?
Am equally thinking about the Same I only hope there will be no back fires
Are these useless people still discussing this useless airline? How many airlines have folded in Africa so far? How about just forgetting about the airline idea? Get the mines. They are more profitable than wasting money in the skies. Please Zambians start thinking. How much will it cost you running an airline as compared to thinking?
Maybe you are all young and have no institutional memory. The defunct Zambia Airways was started in this exact form where military officers were seconded to the airline.
The likes of Capt Godfrey Mulundila, military rank Col were military including Lt Gen Sandie Kayumba among many many others.
Well, the only Zambia airways going to fly is the Katele Kalumba witchcraft powered one! Bafikala ba Zambia mwanya saana over over!
Government of FOOLS. How did we get here?