Zambian Airways has done us proud, says Magande
Zambian Airways has done us proud, says MagandeBy Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Friday April 25, 2008 [04:00]
THE success of Zambian Airways is a national success, finance minister Ng'andu Magande has said. And Zambian Airways chief executive officer Mutembo Nchito has announced that the airline has launched business class on its regional routes with a US$220 one-way fare to Johannesburg.
During the launch of Zambian Airways business class on Wednesday evening at Holiday Inn in Lusaka, Magande said the airline's success was a fine example of a product of government's policies aimed at empowering citizens through private sector participation and development.
Magande, who pledged government's support towards the growth of Zambian Airways, said the airline needed national support in its development and that Zambia could only be developed by local people.
"We will not be doing Mr Nchito and his colleagues a favour by patronising Zambian Airways... we will be doing ourselves a favour by making sure one of us thrives. That is how countries are developed, they are not developed by outsiders," Magande said.
"That is the passion your current government had in enacting the Citizens Economic Empowerment (CEE) Act. The current government took to Parliament and had the CEE enacted recently. The Act will encourage private sector activity by unleashing the drive and creativity that exists amongst many of our people.
"We want to develop the country through Zambians and it is obviously pleasing that if Mutembo can recruit a chief operating officer with skills to come and help him run the company who is not Zambian, that is what we should do.
Mutembo, you have done us proud and we support you. I don't control travel for government but I control the finances and if it means dealing with those who will be travelling elsewhere in another fashion by reducing their travel budget, I will do it because I want to make sure you succeed. Your success is a national success."
Magande also commended Zambian Airways for taking a lead in creating highly-skilled jobs in the country's aviation sector, saying the move would help to re-launch the airline industry in the local economy.
"I understand that over the course of the last six months, Zambian Airways have increased their staffing levels by over twenty per cent to two hundred as they have added on new aircrafts and it is pleasing to see some of the new aircrafts as you fly out. Many of the jobs they have created by this addition of equipment are very highly-skilled jobs such as pilots and engineers and it is heartening to note that the knowledge and skills base in such an important sector like aviation is being re-established in our economy," he said.
"I want to assure that the government will continue to look closely at what is going on with the airline as indeed it is a fine example of private sector development. We should lend our support and advice to Zambian Airways and champion their cause in aero-political matters like clearly as we have indicated without interfering in the running of their business as that is not a responsibility of government. That is for the shareholders and the managers."
Magande also acknowledged the hard work of Zambian Airways' management, which has seen the airline continue to post strong results for growth despite some of the challenges faced in its operations.
"The celebration of the launch of the business class clearly represents a major milestone in the development of Zambian Airways. The early days of this century have been characterised by uncertainty, turmoil in many parts of the world and the country, and great volatility in the economic sphere," Magande said. "This clearly is not the ideal environment for a fledging private sector enterprise like Zambian Airways to launch itself on the market.
"... There have been times when the company has gone through difficulties and sometimes without knowing I have ended up on Zambian Airways flight just to find myself seated with the shareholder and owner of this company and we have exchanged very interesting conversation maybe from here to Livingstone and throughout this time, I have become convinced that the management and staff of Zambian Airways have remained steadfast in their belief that the airline would survive, continue to grow and develop into a regional force in the aviation sector and one in which the people of Zambia can take great pride in."
Earlier, Nchito said the success of Zambian Airways had its roots in the privatisation programme, as it was one of the few successful products of the process.
"We are very proud that we are amongst the companies that came out of the privatisation process to tell the story. This year marks ten years after privatisation and those of you who fly to the Copperbelt know that there is no day when we have not taken you there. Airlines have come and gone but Zambian Airways is still here," he said.
Nchito, who outlined the history of the airline's growth, also announced the introduction of the first business class and direct flight from Livingstone to Johannesburg.
"We have just grown our departures out of our airports to about a 180 per week which is huge for national airports and this means revenue for National Airports Corporation (NAC) and we are putting about 10,000 seats into the air every week and that is a huge logistical operation which I hope, as we continue to interact with you will understand and appreciate," he said.
Nchito, who announced that the Zambian Airways business class would be pegged at US$220 against the average market price of about US$600, said the move was in response to most customers who wanted the airline to operate a business class.
"Many of you have spoken to us over the two years that we have been operating that we would really like to fly with you but sometimes we want our privacy and we are want to work and the model that we have had has not been good for you so here we are, we have got a very simple mission. We want to take away your excuses so we are giving you what you have been asking for.
We will be giving you business class on 58 flights every week and that would be on all our regional flights as well as Ndola when we operate the 737 and Mfuwe where we are proud to launch Boeing 737 this year trying to link in with international traffic coming off British Airways," Nchito said.
"We have a dedicated business cabin with 14 seats and I believe we are offering one of the largest and very comfortable seats in this business segment. We will give you a lead in fare of US$220 one-way on our business class to go to Johannesburg.
"We believe that we are contributing to putting in place the intangible infrastructure and it costs money. We can only do that with your patronage."
He also said it was a great shame that only foreign airlines had continued to benefit from the increasing economic activity of Livingstone.
Nchito said the airline would introduce the Livingstone-Johannesburg route next month.
"We are now very happy that for the first time we have a fully Zambian owned company flying out of Livingstone to South Africa. It has been a great shame that when Livingstone has been growing, all the airlines that have been servicing that airport and connecting to Johannesburg have been South African," said Nchito.
"So effective 2nd May, we will start flying the Livingstone-Johannesburg route. We expect to carry about 250,000 passengers this year. When I came in the industry and people who know the statistics better than me will correct me but I recall that about 10 years ago, the whole national airport was doing somewhere in the region of just under 400,000 and today Zambian Airways alone is going to carry 250,000. Now this is against the background that two years ago, that is the financial year 2005/06 we carried only 50,000 passengers.
"So there is some growth for you who like to crunch some numbers but we are particularly proud also for the fact that what we are doing is not a game. We are looking after ourselves. We are providing livelihood for plenty of families. Zambian Airways now employs just over 200 employees, so we believe that as a wholly owned Zambian company we are making a real contribution to the economy,” said Nchito.
Labels: MAGANDE, MUTEMBO NCHITO, ZAMBIAN AIRWAYS
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