Zambia has no national airline but is served by a number of airlines that connect to international routes via Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Addis Ababa, Nairobi, London, Amsterdam, Dubai and Dar-Es-Salaam. The three of the four international airports have been renamed after the distinguished founding fathers as follows: Zambia International Airport Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, formally Lusaka International Airport, Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport, formally Livingstone International Airport and Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport formally Ndola International Airport.
Kenneth Kaunda International Airport
Kenneth Kaunda International Airport is situated in the capital city Lusaka, 27 kilometers from the main business district. Due to its central location, the Airport is ideal for setting up as a hub airport in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. With a friendly people and a stable social economic climate, Lusaka is also an ideal investment, tourism, conferencing and trade destination.
Opened in 1967, the airport provides services for domestic, regional and international flights in accordance with the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS), developed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. The airport has a 3.9 km runway with a width of 45 m and an orientation 10/28, one parallel taxiway and a number of taxiway links. The runway can land up to a maximum of a Boeing 747 air plane.
Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport
The former Ndola International Airport was originally set up as a military base for the Royal Air Force (England). It was built in 1938 to service the British army during the Second World War and was only converted into a civilian Airport in the 1950s. It is located approximately 3 kilometres south of the Ndola city central business district. The terminal building structure has been left intact with a few ancillary buildings added.
The airport has a 2.5 km runway with a width of 46 meters and one secondary runway which is 1.2 km long and parallel to the main runway. There is also a parallel taxiway on the northern side of the runway. The main runway can land aircraft of up to a maximum of a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 air plane.
Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport
Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport (formerly Livingstone International Airport) brings you closer to the magnificent ‘Smoke that Thunders’ - The Victoria Falls Mosi-oa-tunya. A stone through away from one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport is the second oldest airport after Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe (Ndola) but stands out as the pride of the country due to its rehabilitated facilities.
With a new terminal building, runway, apron and apron lights, the airport is the focus of the Corporation. Livingstone International Airport is situated 5km from Livingstone town, the tourist capital, in the Southern Province and perhaps more significantly, 15 km from the Victoria Falls. The Airport was built in 1950 for a predominantly domestic market, but the airport infrastructure has been considerably up-graded through major redevelopment programmes undertaken by the Zambia Airport Corporation.
Mfuwe International Airport MIA
Mfuwe International Airport was opened in mid 70s as a domestic airport to service the South Luangwa National Game Park, which is one of the largest national game parks in Zambia. The airport gained its international status in 1995 when it was gazetted as a port of entry and exit. The airport serves over twenty lodges and campsites. It has a runway measuring 2.2 km long.
Its’ location in the middle of the South Luangwa National Park makes it convenient for flight connections to most tourist destinations in Zambia and in the region. There are daily flights from Lusaka to Mfuwe and direct flights from Mfuwe to Lilongwe. There are plans to provide for additional connections with other tourist destinations like Mombasa, Victoria Falls, Kariba, Harare and Johannesburg. The terminal building has a capacity to handle 100,000 passengers per year.