Zambian airline Proflight has expanded its Cape Town to Lusaka route, adding additional capacity, just seven months after the introduction of the route.

The 3.5 hour flight is the only direct air connection between the two cities. First introduced as a twice-weekly flight in July 2023, Proflight launched its three-times weekly offering at an event at Cape Town’s Taj Hotel last week. It now flies on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

In an interview with Tourism Update ahead of the event, Director of Flight Operations for Proflight Zambia, Josias Walubita said: “When we launched twice a week, there were lots of queries and questions about why we couldn’t do more. So from the seven months we’ve been operating, we’ve seen the route doing well.”

He said load factors on the 50-seater flight were “very impressive”. The airline also operates flights to Johannesburg and Durban.

Walubita said that the new route was a reflection of the growing numbers of travellers between South Africa and Zambia, driven by good relations between the two countries. Traveller numbers from Zambia to South Africa increased by 25% between 2022 and 2023.

“Over the last few years, there has been a deliberate effort between the Zambian and South African governments to strengthen bilateral ties and that has translated into citizens of both countries wanting to visit each other for trade, investment and different forms of industry,” he said.

Walubita said the flight attracted a mix of business and leisure travellers, with increasing interest from Zambians wanting to visit Cape Town for its scenery, history and culture.

The flight also allows travellers departing from Cape Town to connect through Lusaka to visit Victoria Falls and other Zambian tourist sites.

“This new air bridge between Cape Town and Lusaka will pay dividends for both leisure and corporate travel, advancing regional cooperation and success,” said Mark Wernich, Cluster General Manager Africa at Taj Hotels. The group also has a property in Lusaka.

He said the new route would be beneficial for both leisure and corporate travel, connecting “two of Southern Africa’s top tourism and travel destinations”.

“This route connecting Cape Town to Lusaka will open new doors for regional cooperation, trade and cultural exchange. Enhanced connectivity will attract investment and bolster job creation, fostering sustainable business development and driving economic growth,” Wernich added.

Walubita said the new route was a “game changer” for travellers- allowing them to get between the two cities in just 3.5 hours, negating the need to transit through another airport like OR Tambo, and dealing with additional queues.

The airline says direct flights like the Cape Town-Lusaka route are crucial to expanding tourism flows between the two countries, by making transnational, multi-stop planning simpler.

Proflight also has 10 interline agreements with airlines across the continent to ensure seamless travel between destinations and enhance connectivity on the African continent.

Walubita said these agreements were with, among others, South Africa’s CemAir and FlySafair, and east African airlines Air Tanzania and Ethiopian airlines.