KLM will start again flying into Zimbabwe in 29 October, 2012.

Until the year 2000 Zimbabwe had multiple international airlines flying in and out of the country. But as Zimbabwe's political anarchy, one by one they withdrew their services.

Now Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) is back and starting its first flights to Zimbabwe on October 29^th to Harare, along with Lusaka, Zambia, will be added as their newest destinations.

In a statement they said: "KLM sees great growth opportunities in Africa. This year we launched service to Luanda in Angola, Lusaka in Zambia and in 2011 we began serving Kigali in Rwanda.

The airline said it would also offer 11 weekly services to Harare via Nairobi in co-operation with Kenya Airways.

Flight KL523 will be operated with an Airbus A330-200 on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, departing from Schiphol at 10:20 and arriving in Harare on the same day at 21:25.

The return leg of the circle trip has the same number, KL523, leaving Harare at 22:30 the same day, with an intermediate landing in Lusaka. The flight arrives in Amsterdam the following morning at 10:20.

Emirates adds dedicated cargo flights to Lusaka!

Emirates Sky Cargo, the freight division of Emirates, one of the fastest growing international airlines, underlined its commitment to Zambia’s growing economic prosperity with the touchdown of its first dedicated SkyCargo freighter flight into Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka, effective from July 3^rd 2012.
Operating a Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, the dedicated SkyCargo freighter flight arrives from Dubai at 16:00 hrs every Tuesday during the month of July. The airline will then evaluate whether to continue with the service on a permanent basis. From Lusaka the flight will continue to Johannesburg before returning to Dubai.
The SkyCargo airplane has the capacity to carry 103 tonnes of freight, adding to the existing weekly cargo capacity of 160 tonnes on Emirates’ scheduled five-time-a-week passenger service.
Supporting the thriving trade between Africa and the rest of the world, SkyCargo’s weekly cargo capacity into and out of the continent is already more 6,000 tonnes since the launch of the airline’s passenger service flights to Lusaka and Harare on February 1^st 2012. SkyCargo now has a total annual capacity of more than 300,000 tonnes worldwide.
The new gateway means Emirates SkyCargo can connect businesses in 21 countries across Africa to its network of more than 100 destinations, while also providing increased opportunities for key trading partners such as China and Japan.
South Africa – with a weekly capacity of more than 1,500 tonnes spread across the belly-hold of 84 passenger flights serving Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, as well as two dedicated Johannesburg freighters – is Emirates SkyCargo’s key trading point on the continent.
Dedicated freighters also operate to Eldoret and Lilongwe, Cairo, Nairobi, Entebbe, Lusaka, Johannesburg, Accra, Lagos and Tripoli. While the other points on Emirates SkyCargo’s African network – Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Accra, Cairo, Casablanca, Dakar, Dar el Salaam, Entebbe, Khartoum, Lagos, Luanda, Nairobi, Tripoli, and Tunisia – are served using either the belly-hold of wide-body passenger aircraft, or a combination of the belly-hold and freighters.
“With such a comprehensive service now in place we are in a good position to help sustain Africa’s continued economic development by facilitating international trade with its business partners and opening it up to new markets on our ever-expanding network,” said Ram Menen, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President Cargo.
Emirates SkyCargo is transporting parts to support the mining and infrastructure sectors in Zambia – as well as of commodities such as garments, computer parts, and pharmaceuticals – from the likes of the Far East, Australasia, the Indian Subcontinent, Middle East, Europe and North America. Fresh flowers, fruit and vegetables will be among the main commodities shipped in the other direction, while trade is also expected to be generated by neighbouring countries.

South African Express launches flights to Lusaka

New four times a week flights between Durban’s King Shaka Airport and Lusaka’s Kenneth Kaunda Airport will begin on Thursday July 12.

The introduction of the flights is part of the efforts to intergrate the Southern African Development Cooperation (SADC) to grow trade and tourism opportunities.

It follows the announcement by President Jacob Zuma during the recent launch of the Dube Trade Port terminal that the King Shaka Airport would become a springboard to launch inter-regional communications, and logistic infrastructure and integration.

Launching the new route, SA Express CEO Inati Ntshanga, said they would use a 50-seater aircraft for flights to Lusaka four times a week on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

“The aim will be to increase this frequency to six days very soon. Booking for the inaugural flight on July 12 are now open.

“We are excited to be launching this new route. SA Express has become an active participant in regional economic cooperation and integration in recent years. The objective of the new route is to enable Zambia and South Africa to grow tourism and trade opportunities,” he said.

He said that the next phase of expansion would be to apply for route rights from Durban to Harare (Zimbabwe), Gaborone (Botswana), the Malawian cities of Blantyre and Lilongwe, and the Mozambican cities of Maputo and Vilanculos.

“For Zambia and South Africa to make full use of its growth potential, it will be essential to work in a cooperative manner by promoting further regional economic integration and developing broad regional infrastructure,” Ntshanga said.