Zambezi Airlines Boeing 737-500
Zambezi Airlines is based at Lusaka International Airport in Zambia (located in south central Africa) and started operations in July 2008 using a single Embraer 120. They currently operate three Boeing 737-500s and have expanded operations. Even though Zambezi Airline’s website states the airline has, “quickly gained a reputation for service and reliability,” they are currently banned from flying to the European Union.
Zambezi has helped the local economy by bringing a maintenance hangar back online that was once owned by Zambia Airways and was abandoned after the carrier went under in 1993. Where most other African airlines send their aircraft to South Africa for work, Zambezi has provided local aviation jobs in Lusaka. It is estimated that the airline has spent close to $700,000.00 on getting the facility back to working order.
The airline has a pretty slick livery with giraffe print on the tail and engine cowlings and simple green titles on the fuselage. I was kind of hoping that the seats would be giraffe print fabric, but it appears they are a standard blue — oh well.