Malawian Airlines-ET partnership to make Lilongwe a hub
The partnership between Malawian Airlines Limited and Ethiopian Airlines (ET) will make Malawi a hub of air transport, according to ET’s chief executive officer Tewolde Gebremariam.
He also dismissed fears that the two airlines will be competing for customers.
“The two airlines will act as a feeder to each other. Those passengers from Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe that wish to get to West Africa or to other continents will be able to use Malawian Airlines and connect through Ethiopian Airlines to their respective destinations
“This is a great partnership that will make Malawi a hub of air transport in Southern Africa. There is no competition at all,” said Gebremariam who was accompanied by his chief finance officer.
ET has 49 percent stake in Malawian Airlines with the rest held by the Malawi Government.
Gebremariam also dismissed reports that most of the employees at the newly launched Airlines are not Malawians.
“The pilots, cabin crews, market people and even public relations officer are all Malawians. It is only in the engineering department where there are no Malawians currently. The reason is that the planes we are flying are new generation planes. Malawian engineers will have to undergo special orientation training before they can be employed in the section,” he said.
Malawian Airlines board chairperson George Partridge said currently, they are trying to track several Malawian professionals who worked with the liquidated Air Malawi and now are in other countries.
“We are trying to track them down so that they can be part of the team. As I am speaking, some staff who worked with Air Malawi are currently undergoing training at Ethiopian Airlines Academy. This is a flag carrier for Malawi and is a Malawian company.
“Ethiopian Airlines is a strategic partner and will assist in taking the airline to another level,” he said.
ET has a 40 percent stake in Togo, Lome-based ASKY Airlines.
Minister of Transport Ulemu Chilapondwa said the coming of ET will add value to Malawian Airlines.
How can ET suggest passengers from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia will connect to ET flights through Malawi when ET themselves have daily flights to these very countries from Addis? Maybe they are talking about Tete, Chipata and Mutale?