Zambia Airports Corporation says stronger air connectivity, route development and regional integration will be central to positioning Zambia as a regional aviation hub, with the Single African Air Transport Market identified as a key enabler for expanding intra-African air links.
Speaking at the recent Land-Linked Zambia 2026 event, hosted by Africast, Khetiwe Lubinga-Nyirenda, Director Corporate Planning and Strategy at Zambia Airports Corporation, presented Zambia’s aviation connectivity strategy under the Single African Air Transport Market, with a focus on expanding the country’s air links across Africa.
Zambia Airports Corporation is a commercial entity limited by shares and wholly owned by the Government of the Republic of Zambia. Its principal activity is to develop, manage, maintain and operate a network of four international airports and nine aerodromes, while also providing air navigation services across Zambia’s airspace.
“We are not just an airport operator, but also an air navigation services provider,” she said.
The corporation draws its mandate from the Civil Aviation Act No. 5 of 2016.
Zambia’s airport network is led by Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka, which accounted for 73.5% of the country’s passenger traffic. The airport is served by two domestic airlines and 12 international airlines.
Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport in Ndola accounted for 13.9% of passenger traffic, with four international airlines and two domestic airlines operating there. Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport in Livingstone, the gateway to Victoria Falls, accounted for 7.9% of traffic and largely serves tourism and MICE activity. Mfuwe International Airport, the gateway to South Luangwa National Park, accounted for 1.4% of traffic.
Lubinga-Nyirenda said Zambia’s aviation ambitions are aligned with Vision 2030 and the country’s National Development Plan, both of which identify transport as an enabler of tourism and industrialisation. Policy priorities include transforming Kenneth Kaunda International Airport into an aviation hub by 2030, as well as constructing and upgrading airports and equipment to support both passenger and cargo traffic.
Zambia’s geographic position was presented as a strategic advantage. Lubinga-Nyirenda said half of the SADC member states are neighbours of Zambia and are within two hours’ flying time, while Johannesburg, a major SADC hub, is also two hours from Lusaka.
“Zambia is land-linked and not landlocked,” she said, adding that aviation is the fastest connector within the multimodal transport system.
According to Lubinga-Nyirenda, rising air demand in Zambia is being driven by trade, tourism flows and regional business travel. Passenger numbers have also recovered beyond pre-COVID-19 levels.
Market access is being framed around the SADC region, COMESA, the African Continental Free Trade Area, the Tripartite Free Trade Area and the ESC.
Lubinga-Nyirenda outlined Zambia’s current route network, including the Lusaka-Manzini route operated by Air Eswatini, which was launched on 1 April. She also referred to a new Livingstone-Maun route to be launched by Proflight, as well as a Proflight route to Windhoek via Livingstone, launched roughly a month ago.
She identified South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe as well-connected markets, while noting that Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, Botswana, Burundi and Mozambique remain underserved markets or areas where gaps persist.
Lubinga-Nyirenda said air connectivity is vital for Zambia because the country is land-linked. “It’s the lifeline of trade, it’s the lifeline of investment, and also tourism,” she said. “It’s not just a luxury, but it actually enables all those aspects.”
Positioning Zambia as a regional hub, she said, will require multimodal integration, air cargo development, policy alignment across institutions and joint market access strategies.
Key enablers include network expansion, market liberalisation, reform of bilateral air service agreements, full use of the Single African Air Transport Market to unlock intra-African routes, airline partnerships, optimisation of existing airport infrastructure and targeted fifth freedom rights.
Lubinga-Nyirenda also highlighted Air Access Zambia, launched in 2025, as a multi-sectoral approach to route development in the country.
She said Zambia’s connectivity growth is supported by several regulatory and policy instruments, including the Yamoussoukro Decision of 1999, which she described as already in force and the bedrock of the Single African Air Transport Market. Other frameworks include the Single African Air Transport Market, launched in 2018, the SADC Air Transport Policy, the COMESA Air Transport Framework, bilateral air service agreements and corporate memoranda of understanding.
These memoranda, she said, cover safety oversight, route slot coordination and shared data between civil aviation authorities where airlines intend to operate.
On the role of the Single African Air Transport Market, Lubinga-Nyirenda said the framework removes restrictions on market entry, capacity and pricing, enabling airlines to launch Zambia routes without regulatory barriers.
