Proflight Proves Regional Airlines Can Work in Africa
Jetstream turboprops form the core of Proflight Zambia’s fleet. (Photo: Ian Sheppard)
Jetstream turboprops form the core of Proflight Zambia’s fleet. (Photo: Ian Sheppard)

Regional airlines serve a vital purpose all over the world even where they mix with low-cost carriers. In the depths of southern Africa, one such carrier based in the landlocked country of Zambia is proving that a country with vast areas, connected by relatively poor roads and almost no rail connections, does need scheduled services to help its economy function. Proflight has survived in a country that saw national carrier Zambia Airways disappear in 1994, and the smaller replacement, Zambian Airways, went out of business in 2009. Through it all, Proflight prospered–even surviving through the stigma of Zambia’s addition in 2009 to the European Union (EU) safety blacklist, which made it harder to persuade foreign visitors to use local carriers.