Proflight Zambia Flies Around The World Every Week

 

Lusaka-based regional airline Proflight Zambia flew the equivalent distance of travelling around the world every week last year. The airline flew a total of 2,275,204 kilometres during 2013, enough to fly the 40,075 kilometres circumference of the globe 56 times, or more than once round the earth every week. “For the first time in Proflight Zambia’s 23 year history we broke through the 2 million kilometre mark last year, demonstrating that our strategy of slow, steady growth is starting to pay off,” said Proflight Director of Government and Industry Affairs Capt. Philip Lemba.

 

“These latest figures also show that Proflight is starting to achieve the size and critical mass necessary to run an efficient and credible regional airline with Lusaka as its hub,” he added. Flying passengers more than 2 million kilometres meant 8,830 hours of time in the air. Some 136,206 passenger journeys were made during the year on Proflight – again a record for the airline, which increased its domestic route network to ten with the addition of its Mongu service in November, and added its first two international routes during the year, from Lusaka to Lilongwe in Malawi, and to Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania.

 

In total some 9,490 “sectors” – from one airport to the next - were flown during the year. On a quirkier note, the Proflight passengers consumed 21,842 muffins during their flights as part of the airline’s complimentary on-board catering services. That’s 2.184 tonnes of muffins: 18 times the weight of Douglas the baby hippo – which Proflight helped fly to safety in March after he was abandoned by his mother in the Lower Zambezi. Douglas weighed 120kg when Proflight airlifted him, but will be up to 3.6 tonnes when fully grown.

 

While 2013 was a record year for Proflight Zambia, the airline is not resting on its laurels and plans further expansion during 2014, new regional routes from Lusaka to Johannesburg, Lubumbashi, Harare and Tete being evaluated. Meanwhile, according to a recent article by Routes Online website, Proflight was the largest operator in Zambia for the year to November 31, 2013, flying 23.4 percent of the passengers arriving or departing from Lusaka’s Kenneth Kaunda International Airport.

Proflight Zambia Planning New Routes

 

Proflight Zambia has unveiled plans to add three further international destinations to its growing schedule by mid-2014, effectively making Lusaka a regional hub for air travel. Following the successful launch of its first international service, from Lusaka to Lilongwe, on June 4, Zambia’s only locally registered scheduled carrier is now planning to fly from Ndola to Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with connections between Ndola and Lusaka.The airline is also considering services to Harare, Dar es Salaam, Tete and Johannesburg, subject to regulatory approval.

 

With the introduction of the Malawi route, Proflight Zambia currently operates ten scheduled routes

using nine aircraft, including a 105-seat Boeing 737 aircraft which was recently added to the Proflight fleet as the airline's first jet aircraft. “We believe that after years of prudent, steady growth, Proflight Zambia has now built a solid base and reached a critical mass from which it can expand into regional markets, heeding the requests of our customers,” said Proflight Director of Government and Industry Affairs Capt. Philip Lemba. “Lusaka is a natural choice as a hub, and Proflight is determined to be a standard bearer for Zambian aviation throughout the region.”

 

Proflight is keen to introduce flights to Johannesburg from Lusaka and is examining the option of flying into the smaller Lanseria airport, for which costs are lower than that of the city’s main OR Tambo (ORT) International airport. Proflight’s service to Johannesburg would allow connections via shuttle bus from Lanseria to ORT as well as shuttles to the Rivonia and Centurion Gautrains.  

 

The airline celebrates 22 years of operation this year, and has grown from operating a single aircraft to a fleet of nine serving nine domestic destinations and one international route. It prides itself in providing a safe, reliable, efficient and friendly service and is determined to continue its strategy of steady expansion.

 

Visit fly Zambia for more information

Precision Air Postpones Harare Launch Date

Tanzania’s Precision Air starting May 2012 is introducing 2 new destinations, where it’ll launch 3 weekly service to Lubumbashi and Lusaka, starting 18MAY12. Further, planned service to Lilongwe and Harare, due to start 02JUN12, is postponed until 03JUL12.
Schedule and routing:

Dar es Salaam – Lubumbashi – Lusaka – Dar es Salaam
PW704 DAR1030 – 1140FBM1230 – 1320LUN1410 – 1655DAR 733 357
Dar es Salaam – Lilongwe – Harare – Dar es Salaam
PW705 DAR1030 – 1105LLW1155 – 1305HRE1355 – 1640DAR 733 246

Proflight Zambia Plans Harare Route

According to a news article from the Times of Zambia, Proflight Airlines will in June begin its first international operations to Harare, Zimbabwe and Lubumbashi DRC. The airline company has all along been strictly operating domestic routes and the move to go regional seems to be  a chance to take over the routes that were being operated by the grounded Zambezi Airlines. Currently Emirates is the only commercial airline operating flights between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The full article can be read by clicking on the link button.