New questions have been raised about aircraft bought for Zambia Airways (ZN, Lusaka) in 2015 by the Zambian government under former president Edgar Lungu, with prominent local human rights and anti-corruption activist Gregory Chifire demanding accountability from the present administration.
In an interview with the Daily Revelation newspaper in Lusaka, Chifire said that Zambian law enforcement agencies should give a public explanation of the status and whereabouts of the planes.
"We feel that the law enforcement agencies are not doing their job. We are wondering as to why, up to now, serious investigations or arrests have not been made. And they owe the general public an explanation because, as far as the document l have seen is concerned, Zambia paid money in 2015, but where are the planes?" he asked.
In 2015, the Zambian government initiated plans to revitalise Zambia Airways, which reportedly included procuring five Sukhoi (Zhukovsky) Superjet 100 aircraft from Russia's UAC United Aircraft Corporation. Subsequent media reports indicated that only a single VIP-configured aircraft would be supplied, specifically for Lungu, for USD45-49 million. However, none were delivered, and their procurement has been dogged by controversy.
Under the new administration, which came in in 2021, Minister of Transport and Logistics Frank Tayali acknowledged that there were "issues of four aircraft that were procured by the previous administration," which were believed to be in Russia. The circumstances surrounding these aircraft raised suspicions of potential corruption, leading to investigations into the procurement process. The new administration demanded a refund from the manufacturer of a USD6-7 million deposit paid for two of the aircraft following a review ordered by current president Hakainde Hichilema in 2021 into all of his predecessor's national projects.
Following several delays, Zambia Airways eventually took off officially in November 2021 as a 45/55% joint venture between Ethiopian Airlines and Zambia's state-owned Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). It currently operates with one B737-700 and one DHC-8-Q400, both leased from the Ethiopian carrier. In April, Tayali announced the airline was expecting two more B737s from Ethiopian, but so far none have been delivered.
ch-aviation has contacted Tayali's office, which deferred the matter to the IDC and Zambia Airways for comment. An airline spokesperson declined to comment, while the IDC representative was not immediately available.
