Intergovernmental organization, Durban Direct, has welcomed the resumption of passenger and cargo air services between Lusaka and Durban.
The first ProFlight Zambia inbound flight arrived on 6 April and will operate on Thursdays, while Sunday flights will resume from 16 April.
A special Tuesday flight on 11 April has been scheduled to fly visitors home to Zambia after the Easter weekend.
The launch of air services will provide a significant boost to the volume of travellers between Zambia and South Africa.
Travel between the countries experienced 38% growth between 2021 and 2022, while exports to Zambia grew by R1.6 billion in the same period, making it a key trading partner in the region.
The route will be serviced by Proflight's CRJ-100 and CRJ-200 aircraft.
KwaZulu-Natal’s MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Siboniso Duma, said the resumption of flights would help to further strengthen business ties between the countries.
"This new air service will undoubtedly play a role in strengthening the business links between the two destinations, especially considering that there are already many companies operating in both Zambia and South Africa.”
"The improved air connectivity will make it easier for businesses to travel between the two countries, facilitating even greater trade and investment,” Duma said.
The director for Flight Operations at Proflight Zambia, captain Josias Walubita, said the airline was "delighted" to return to Durban.
Walubita said the airline's resumption of the Lusaka-Durban route was a clear indication of its commitment to growth and regional expansion.
The new route will also provide a boost to the tourism industry, for both Zambia and South Africa.
eThekwini mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, said the city was "thrilled" the flights had resumed. "As the tourism industry is gradually recovering, the resumption of these air services facilitates greater leisure and business travel into Durban.
"Growing intra-Africa travel is also a key component of our broader strategy to ensure competitiveness, which is further enabled by the addition of this air connectivity," Kaunda said.
"We're committed to growing our involvement in Durban Direct, through which we were able to acquire these new flights to grow our program of attracting new air services into the city," he said.
Regional general manager of Airports Company South Africa, Nkosinathi Myataza, said the flights were a positive development with the potential to boost trade, tourism, and business links between the two destinations.
The Lusaka-Durban route was halted during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
