FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WITH PICTURES
JUNE 27, 2025
PROFLIGHT ZAMBIA CHAMPIONS A CONNECTED CONTINENT
Streamlined regulations, visa reforms and targeted infrastructure investment to help level the playing field and drive Africa’s aviation boom
LUSAKA, ZAMBIA – As Africa’s population is estimated to reach 3 billion by 2070, its vast skies remain largely underutilised. Speaking at the recent Zambia Travel Expo (ZATEX), and the ICAO African & Indian Ocean Aviation Week in Victoria Falls respectively, Proflight Zambia joined other sector players to unlock the potential of regional air travel and tourism.
While challenges such as high operating costs, fragmented regulations and infrastructure persist, industry leaders including Keira Langford Johnson, Proflight Business Development Director emphasised that by aligning stakeholder interests and investing in both airports and digital platforms, governments and carriers can cultivate a sustainable, profitable market for all.
“We strongly believe that aligning policies and investments among airlines, governments and airports is essential to making regional air travel more affordable and accessible,” said Keira during the ZATEX 2025 panel discussion on “Strengthening Air Connectivity to Boost Tourism.”
According to UN Tourism figures, Africa recorded a 9 percent rise in international arrivals alone during the first quarter of 2025. With a burgeoning middle class eager to explore key and off the beaten path destinations and with increased intra and intercountry accessibility for travellers, the continent’s travel and tourism sectors are poised for growth.
With airport infrastructure development now a strategic focus for Zambia’s economic recovery and growth, the government in its 2025 budget allocated more than seven hundred million to upgrade provincial aerodromes that will enhance connectivity and reflect a collective commitment to aviation sector development.
Airlines across the continent such as Proflight Zambia are furthermore advocating for a multi-pronged – approach public-private partnerships leveraged to fund and operate modern airport terminals; and the use of technology and data analytics to identify underserved routes and personalise customer experiences, as demonstrated by Proflight Zambia’s recent launch of direct flights between Livingstone and Cape Town.
Understanding prevailing sector dynamics and sustained stakeholder engagement positions airlines to take hold of opportunities as they become apparent as well as to navigate challenges better.
Speaking at the 10th ICAO AFI Aviation Week in Victoria Falls, Proflight Zambia’s Director of Ground Operations, Cargo and Catering Services, Vincent Banda, outlined the airline’s evolution—from a single-aircraft charter operator to a scheduled carrier with a diverse fleet and expansive domestic and regional network, now transporting more than 250,000 passengers annually.
“Our journey reflects resilience and adaptability,” Vincent noted. “By educating travellers, expanding routes and harnessing digital platforms, we’ve become a catalyst for intra-African connectivity.”
During the same forum, ICAO officials and Zambia’s Minister of Transport and Logistics, Hon Frank Tayali, called for accelerated fuel levy reductions and regulatory reforms to support SAATM.
Increased air travel fuels tourism, trade and employment across sectors. In 2024 alone, Proflight Zambia carried 276,669 passengers supporting thousands of direct and indirect jobs. Its workforce now numbers 280, with women comprising 38 per cent emphasising aviation’s potential as an inclusive economic driver.
Proflight Zambia remains optimistic. Its growth strategy centres on affordability, accessibility and resilience—key ingredients for long-term success. With sustained government backing on fuel levies, airport charges and infrastructure upgrades, Africa’s open skies could soon become the runway to a new era of prosperity.
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About Proflight Zambia
Proflight Zambia, established in 2005, is Zambia’s leading schedule airline. Operating from its base in Lusaka its domestic routes include Kalumbila, Kasama, Livingstone, Mansa, Mfuwe, Ndola, and Solwezi, seasonal safari routes to Jeki/Royal airstrips in Lower Zambezi National Park. The airline’s regional flights to South Africa operate between Lusaka and Johannesburg, Lusaka and Cape Town (via Livingstone) and Livingstone and Cape Town direct.
The airline prides itself in providing a safe, reliable, efficient, and friendly service, and offering good value to business and leisure travellers locally and internationally.
The airline operates four 50-seater Bombardier CRJ-200 Jets, a Bombardier CRJ-100 Freighter Jet, four 29-seater Jetstream 41 aircraft and one 18-seater Jetstream 32 aircraft.
More information is available at www.flyzambia.com.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Gillian Langmead at Langmead & Baker Ltd;
+260 979 060705;
info@langmead.com