Between January and June of 2014, the Zambia National Airports Corporation Limited (NACL) has recorded a total of 733,332 passengers, representing a 7.6% increase over the same period last year with a total of 681,353 passengers processed through Zambia airports.
According to Sally Namutowe, the NACL communications and branding manager, the growth can be attributed to an increase in international travel as a direct result of the increasing frequency of flights by numerous airlines as well as an increase in both international and domestic flights.
“During the period under review, the corporation recorded an increase in activities mostly at Kenneth Kaunda and Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe international airports such as introduction of flights by Malawian Airlines and Fast Jet, and an increase in flight frequencies by Ethiopian and South African airlines,” she said in a statement to the Daily Mail.
During the reporting period, all of the country’s international airports experienced a positive growth trend with Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (KKIA) recording 503,389 passengers; Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport (SMKIA) recording 133,153 passengers; Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport (HMNIA) recording 87,922 passengers; and Mfuwe International Airport (MIA) recording 8,868 passengers.
The National Airports Corporation Limited (NACL), which was established in 1989 and is wholly owned by the Government of Zambia, is responsible for the development, maintenance and management of the four designated international airports, namely, Kenneth Kaunda (Lusaka), Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula (Livingstone), Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe (Ndola), and Mfuwe and the provision of air navigation services throughout Zambia.
