Proflight Launches New Aircraft

According to eturbonews, Proflight Zambia has made its maiden Boeing 727-200 flight from Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka to Livingstone.
The launch of the 105-seater twin-engine jet plane marks an historic development for Zambia's only scheduled airline and will almost double the carrier's seating capacity.
The aircraft will operate on Proflight's routes from Lusaka to Livingstone and Ndola. Philip Lemba, Proflight's Director of Government and Industry Affairs, said the airline had adopted a strategy of steady, careful growth, making it ready to take the next step.
The 737 aircraft will also play a pivotal role in getting delegates to Livingstone for the UN World Tourism Organisation General Assembly in August. The 737-200 can fly at speeds of up to 780kph, compared with the current maximum speed of 546kph of the Jetstream 41 aircraft, which means that Proflight can reduce flight times significantly.
 Its cargo capacity will enable Proflight to offer increased baggage allowances on routes operated with the 737.

Carlson Rezidor Opens Lusaka Hotel

Carlson Rezidor has opened its first hotel in Zambia. The 142-room Radisson Blu Hotel, Lusaka is the group’s 22nd hotel in operation in Africa and brings Carlson Rezidor’s total African portfolio of properties in operation and under development to 48 hotels with 10,889 rooms.
Carlson Rezidor has plenty in the pipeline and future openings include Radisson Blu hotels in Maputo (Mozambique), Nairobi (Kenya), Luanda (Angola), and Kigali (Rwanda). The Radisson Blu Hotel, Lusaka is located in the Zambian capital’s commercial district on the Great East Road, adjacent to the Mulungushi International Conference Centre, opposite the Arcades Shopping and Entertainment Complex, and five kilometres from the city centre.
 All the hotel’s rooms are equipped with air-conditioning and free high-speed, wireless Internet. Guests can also enjoy Italian cuisine at the all-day Restaurant Filini, plus a wide range of other international dishes. They can also relax in the airy Filini Bar, or they can choose to chill out at the Pool Bar. There’s also an in-house spa, modern fitness centre and Executive Lounge, with terrace.
 The Radisson Blu Hotel, Lusaka also has conference facilities. The modern meeting rooms vary in size, offering flexibility for any type of gathering. The spacious ballroom and versatile pre-function area are ideal for large events. All rooms feature modern audio-visual equipment, air-conditioning and free high-speed, wireless Internet access.

More Flights For Precision Air

Tanzania’s private-owned airline has launched three weekly flights connecting Dar es Salaam and the Zambian capital of Lusaka.
With the introduction of this new route, it now takes just two hours to fly from Dar es Salaam to Lusaka, cutting flying hours from nine when connecting through Johannesburg.
 The Dar es Salaam to Lusaka route is the sixth international route for Precision. Other routes are Johannesburg, Hahaya, Nairobi, Entebbe, and Mombasa. Domestically, Precision Air covers the bigger towns in Tanzania.

Emirates Launches New Linked Service

Emirates has extended its reach into Africa, with the launch of a new linked service to Lusaka and Harare. Now flying to 22 points within Africa, Emirates will connect Zambia and Zimbabwe to key markets across Europe, the Far East, Australasia and the Indian sub-continent.

The Dubai-Lusaka-Harare service operates every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, using an A330-200 aircraft in a three class configuration. EK 713 departs Dubai at 09h25, arriving in Lusaka at 14h50. The onward connection to Harare departs Lusaka at 16h20, reaching the Zimbabwean capital at 17h20.

The return flight leaves Harare at 19h20, arriving Lusaka at 20h20. It departs Lusaka at 21h50, landing in Dubai at 07h10 the next day. With a fleet of 169 aircraft, Emirates is the world's largest Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 operator.

The airline placed an order for 50 new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft at the Dubai Airshow in November, bringing its total order book to 236 aircraft. Following the launch of Lusaka and Harare, Emirates has also started services to Dallas, Texas, whilst Seattle will follow on 1 March, Ho Chi Minh City on 4 June and Barcelona on 3 July.