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Bishop Mususu urges govt to resuscitate Zambian Airways

Bishop Mususu urges govt to resuscitate Zambian Airways
Written by Margaret Mtonga in Lusaka and Abigail Chaponda in Ndola
Wednesday, January 21, 2009 11:21:05 AM

EVANGELICAL Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) executive director Bishop Paul Mususu has urged the government to intervene in resuscitating the suspended operations of Zambian Airways.

And Kenyan Airways chief executive officer Titus Naikuni has said it is sad that Zambian Airways has suspended its operations.

In an interview yesterday, Bishop Mususu said it was not prudent for communications minister Dora Siliya to say that the government did not have money to help the airline when it collected revenue.

"As a church, we feel something has to be done to at least assist in returning operations of the airline," Bishop Mususu said. "The government can see how they can manoeuvre and assist the airline to pay off the debt. It is imprudent for Dora to rush into saying that the government has no money.

"The best thing Dora would have done was to sit down with the management of the airline and discuss on what move to be taken so as to resuscitate the airline and not just concluding that the government has no money when that business is beneficial to every Zambian in one way or the other."

Bishop Mususu said the country's economic and tourism development would greatly be affected because a lot of workers had lost their jobs as a result of the airline's suspension of operations.

And Naikuni, who expressed sadness over the suspension of operations by Zambian Airways, said the global economic crunch had not really affected Kenyan Airways and that the company was contemplating opening an office in Ndola.

Speaking when he paid a courtesy call on Copperbelt Province Permanent Secretary Jennifer Musonda yesterday, Naikuni however said such intentions were conceived way before the unfortunate decision by Zambian Airways to suspend its operations.

Naikuni said Zambia was important to Kenya because it had potential to grow economically and Kenyan Airways wanted to be part of the economic growth that was taking place on the Copperbelt.

"We have come to see and feel the economy of the area and after we finish our tour, we will be able to tell how much we are going to invest but we have seen the Ndola Airport and it looks ok in terms of the angle," he said. "Our airline is a privately owned airline. We have 22 airplanes and we have employed 4,300 people and our turnover is one billion dollars. Our airline is quite big and we fly to 28 capital cities in Africa and 34 to 35 capital cities in the world. So, I think we are doing well and we can work well in Ndola."

Naikuni said competition was healthy and good for a growing company.

Naikuni also said in future, his airline would think of opening an office in Livingstone.

And Musonda said it was encouraging to see that an African company was interested to invest in Zambia.

Labels: BISHOP MUSUSU, ZAMBIAN AIRWAYS

posted by MrK @ 11:22 AM