Loading

Zambia's booming economy increasingly reliant on Kenya and Ethiopian Airways. A flag carrier needed?

Analysis

As southern Africa enjoys a commodities boom, Zambia, like its neighbour Zimbabwe lacks an international airline of its own, leaving the country reliant on a small number of foreign airlines to provide connections to tourism markets and trading partners. British Airways' decision to pull out of Zambia in Oct-2013 after 80 years of service is a considerable blow to European connections. BA will redeploy the capacity to Ghana where greater returns are in view following Virgin Atlantic's withdrawal.

Privately owned Proflight Zambia operates a domestic network in Zambia and the seemingly prudently run airline has regional expansion plans, but is unlikely to be able to extend its business beyond Africa in the foreseeable future.

Zambia's Government has been attempting to negotiate a funding deal to relaunch a flag carrier to replace Zambia Airways, liquidated in 1995 after 31 years' operation. However, the unhappy history of African governments meddling in the affairs of their national carriers means private investors are reluctant to become involved. Meanwhile, Africa's hub carriers like Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airways are increasing service.

Read More

This CAPA Analysis Report is 2,027 words.

You must log in to read the rest of this article.

Got an account? Log In

Create a CAPA Account

Get a taste of our expert analysis and research publications by signing up to CAPA Content Lite for free, or unlock full access with CAPA Membership.

InclusionsContent Lite UserCAPA Member
News
Non-Premium Analysis
Premium Analysis
Data Centre
Selected Research Publications

Want More Analysis Like This?

CAPA Membership provides access to all news and analysis on the site, along with access to many areas of our comprehensive databases and toolsets.
Find Out More