Wednesday 27 March 2013

Zambians in the diaspora partner with locally based investors to establish mukuba airlines



A Group Of Zambian Aviation Professionals In The Diaspora In Partnership With Their Locally Based Counterparts And Some Foreign Investors Will Be Launching Zambia’s First Budget Airline In The Next Few Months In Readiness For The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (Unwto) Conference.

Mukuba Airlines Chairman And Chief Executive Officer, Mwansa Chalwe Has Explained That The Airline’s Business Model Will Revolutionalize Air Travel In The Country And Contribute To Promote Tourism And Investment Throughout Zambia By Making Air Travel Affordable And Complement Other Product Offerings That Are On The Market.
Mr Chalwe Says The Vision Of The Founders Of Mukuba Airlines Is To Demystify And Democratize Air Travel And Emulate Emerging Economies Like Brazil, India, Indonesia And Others That Have Extended Air Travel To Those Who Have Never Flown Before Including Domestic Workers As Was The Case In Brazil.
He Was Speaking At A Media Briefing In Livingstone.
Mukuba Airlines, Which Is Expected To Be A Low Cost Carrier, Is Meant Mainly For Domestic Travel And The Company Has An Investment Plan Of Between Us $5 And 15 Million In The Project.
He Says With Regard To The Airline Industry, The Number Of Regional And International Airlines Coming Into Zambia Has Increased In The Last Ten Years By Over 60 Per Cent, Bringing In Record Numbers Of Regional And International Passengers.

Mr Chalwe However Says The Domestic Aviation Sector Has Not Grown At The Same Rate And Has Lagged Behind Which Has Created A Gap In Terms Of Feeder Services And Limited The Visitors’ Travel Options To Most Parts Of Zambia.
He Has Stated That The Launch Of The Low Cost Carrier Has Reached An Advanced Stage And The Airline Will Initially Concentrate On Domestic Travel Using The French Made Turbo Prop Atr 42-500 And Atr 72-500 Aircraft To Be Maintained By Air Botswana.
And Livingstone Tourism Association Board Chairman, Active Monze, Says Once The Airline Is Operational It Will Help Improve Domestic Tourism As People Will Have A Chance To Visit Tourism Places In Other Parts Of The Country At A Low Price.
Mr Monze Says For Livingstone To Succeed In The Tourism Industry It Needs To Have Good Investment In It.
And Newly Elected Livingstone Member Of Parliament, Lawrence Evans, Has Thanked The Company For Brining In A Domestic Airline For The Main Benefit Of The Local People.
Mr Evans Says The Project Has Been In The Pipe Line For A Long Time And That It Is The Type Of Investment That Is Much Needed In Livingstone.
He Has Noted That Current Airlines Tend To Monopolize The Fares Which Disadvantage The Local People Who Cannot Afford The Price.

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