PICS: Harare International Airport

Check-in for KLM KL523 HRE-LUN-AMS

 

 

An empty departures lounge, pretty common in the evenings

 

 

Malawi Airlines Boeing 737-800 taxiing out for its return back to Lilongwe

 

 

KLM KL523 Airbus A330-200 shortly after its arrival at Harare Int Airport

 

 

Egyptair MS842 departing for Cairo via Dar es Salaam

 

 

Special thanks to Léonard Desdoigts for the great pics and trip KLM523 Trip Report HRE-LUN.



The Big & Small at Harare International Airport

Ethiopian Airlines 787 taxiing out while Malawian Airlines dash8 Q400 taxies in at Harare International Airport. Special thanks to Airway Magazine for the pic.

Malawi cancels Kenya Airways 5th freedom rights

 

Kenya Airways long-standing service to the Malawian traveling public, offering a 5th freedom connection between Malawi and Zambia, was clearly worth little for the bureaucrats in Lilongwe, when they abruptly canceled these 5th freedom rights to give upstart Malawian Airlines the monopoly on the route, with instant suggestions this was done at the behest of Ethiopian Airlines. Ethiopian, which went into partnership with the Malawian government to re-launch a national airline after mismanaged Air Malawi had collapsed, at the time prompting desperate calls for assistance to Kenya Airways to offer a daily service to Lusaka, is thought to be the main driver behind that decision in their fight for supremacy in the African skies, in this case clearly a dirty fight as it now allows to charge fares at will to the detriment of passengers.

‘It is once again clear that the Yamoussoukro agreement is really worth little as African countries continue to disregard it with impunity,”’ commented an aviation source from Nairobi, when confirming that indeed effective today, March 1, no more flights between Malawi and Zambia will be operated by Kenya’s national airline. It was not immediately clear if Kenya Airways would continue to operate flights to Zambia via Malawi now or if they would “thin out” frequencies via Lilongwe in view of this latest development and perhaps increase either flights or use a larger aircraft to serve Lusaka out of Nairobi.

 

The airline did, however, issue a statement to passengers holding confirmed tickets on the Lilongwe to Lusaka route that they would be refunded in full for that coupon and that any inconvenience was highly regretted, and while diplomatically not saying clearly laying the blame on the door of the Malawian authorities.

 

Source: eturbonews

Malawi Airlines jets off to Lusaka from Lilongwe

 

Malawi Airlines, which in the previous week launched four international routes from Lilongwe, continued to expand its presence in Africa on 17 February, this time with a new service to Lusaka (LUN) in Zambia.

 

The 583-kilometre sector from Lilongwe (LLW) will be operated daily, through thrice-weekly non-stop services and four weekly flights via Blantyre in Malawi, utilising Ethiopian Airlines’ 69-seat Q400s. Malawi’s new route to the capital and largest city of Zambia will face direct competition from Kenya Airways’ daily flights and Proflight Zambia’s thrice-weekly services. 

 

Source: anna.aero

Malawian Airlines Boeing 737-800

New start-up Malawian Airlines which is partly owned by Ethiopian Airlines has finally received its second aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 seen above. The airline will operate both domestically and regionally out of Lilongwe to Blantyre and Harare which are currently underway as well as launching routes to Johannesburg, Lusaka and Dar es Salaam beginning next week. The airline also operates a 78 seater Bombardier Q400.

 

Picture courtesy of Skyliner Aviation

Update: Malawi Airlines Schedule

As of 04FEB14

Malawian Airlines has launched operation on 30JAN14, initially operating Lilongwe – Blantyre – Harare service. The airline will be gradually expanding operations to Johannesburg, Lusaka and Dar es Salaam later this month. Reservations for these destinations are now available.
Lilongwe – Blantyre – Harare 3 weekly (Dash8-Q400 operating this service, replacing planned 737-800)
ET038 LLW1730 – 1815BLZ1900 – 2015HRE DH8 135
ET039 HRE2100 – 2215BLZ2300 – 2345LLW DH8 135
eff 05FEB14 Lilongwe – Blantyre – Johannesburg 1 daily (Blantyre – Johannesburg sector begins from 17FEB14)
ET020 LLW0800 – 0845BLZ0930 – 1145JNB 738 D
ET021 JNB1245 – 1500BLZ1545 – 1630LLW 738 D
ET021 until 16FEB14 operates as BLZ0945 – 1030LLW
ET020/021 until 16FEB14 operates with Dash8-Q400
eff 17FEB14 Lilongwe – Lusaka 3 weekly
ET046 LLW0900 – 1015LUN DH4 135
ET047 LUN1115 – 1230LLW DH4 135
eff 18FEB14 Lilongwe – Blantyre – Lusaka 4 weekly
ET032 LLW1730 – 1815BLZ1900 – 2010LUN 738 x135
ET033 LUN2055 – 2205BLZ2250 – 2335LLW 738 x135
eff 18FEB14 Lilongwe – Dar es Salaam 3 weekly
ET042 LLW0800 – 1000DAR DH4 246
ET043 DAR1045 – 1245LLW DH4 246
Following planned service is delayed, planned new launch date is currently unavailable
Lilongwe – Blantyre – Beira 3 weekly
Lilongwe – Blantyre – Maputo 3 weekly
Lilongwe – Blantyre – Tete 2 weekly

Source: Airlineroute

PIC: Malawi Airlines at Harare International Airport

Source: Nunurai Ndawana

PIC: Malawi Airlines De Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 Arrives in Lilongwe

Malawi Airlines Planned Routes as of January 2014

 

 

According to airlineroute.net, new start-up carrier Malawi Airlines plans to begin operation as of 01 January 2014. The airline plans to operate flights to Harare, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, Tete, Lusaka, Beira and Maputo, using Ethiopian Airlines’ Boeing 737-800 and Dash8-Q400 with “ET” flight numbers. Schedule is as follows and subject to change:

 

eff 01JAN14 Lilongwe – Blantyre – Harare 3 weekly:

• ET038 LLW1730 – 1815BLZ1900 – 2015HRE 738 135
• ET039 HRE2100 – 2215BLZ2300 – 2345LLW 738 135

eff 01JAN14 Lilongwe – Blantyre – Johannesburg 1 daily:

• ET020 LLW0800 – 0845BLZ0930 – 1145JNB 738 D
• ET021 JNB1245 – 1500BLZ2135 – 2220LLW 738 D

eff 01JAN14 Lilongwe – Blantyre – Tete 2 weekly:

• ET036 LLW0800 – 0850BLZ0935 – 1005TET 738 7
• ET052 LLW1500 – 1550BLZ1635 – 1705TET 738 3
• ET037 TET1050 – 1120BLZ1205 – 1255LLW 738 7
• ET053 TET1750 – 1820BLZ1905 – 1955LLW 738 3

eff 02JAN14 Lilongwe – Blantyre – Lusaka 4 weekly:

• ET032 LLW1730 – 1815BLZ1900 – 2010LUN 738 x135
• ET033 LUN2055 – 2205BLZ2250 – 2335LLW 738 x135

eff 02JAN14 Lilongwe – Dar es Salaam 3 weekly:

• ET042 LLW0800 – 1100DAR DH4 246
• ET043 DAR1145 – 1245LLW DH4 246

eff 03JAN14 Lilongwe – Blantyre – Maputo 3 weekly

• ET028 LLW1400 – 1450BLZ1535 – 1750MPM DH4 157

Inbound schedule not available

 eff 03JAN14 Lilongwe – Lusaka 3 weekly:

• ET046 LLW0900 – 1015LUN DH4 135
• ET047 LUN1115 – 1230LLW DH4 135

eff 04JAN14 Lilongwe – Blantyre – Beira 3 weekly:

• ET024 LLW1400 – 1450BLZ1535 – 1635BEW DH4 246
• ET025 BEW1720 – 1820BLZ1905 – 1950LLW DH4 246