Malawi Airlines

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Malawi Airlines
Malawian Airlines Logo.png
IATA ICAO Call sign
3WMWIMALAWIAN
FoundedJuly 2013 (2013-07)
Commenced operations31 January 2014 (2014-01-31)
Hubs Kamuzu International Airport
Focus cities Chileka International Airport
Fleet size2 [1]
Destinations7
Parent company Malawian Government (51%)
Headquarters Lilongwe, Malawi
Key peopleLaeke Tadesse(CEO) [2]
Employees71 [2]
Website www.malawian-airlines.com

Malawi Airlines (Malawian Airlines until 2016) is the flag carrier airline of Malawi, based in Lilongwe and with its hub at Kamuzu International Airport. [3] It was established in 2012 after the liquidation of Air Malawi, the former national airline. Ethiopian Airlines operates it under a management contract and owns 49% of the airline after it emerged as the winner following competitive bidding.

Contents

On 25 March 2021, the Board of Directors of the company passed a resolution recommending the "orderly winding up of the company" due to heavy debts and technical insolvency. [2] However, on 5 May 2021 the Government of Malawi confirmed that it intended to recapitalise the airline instead. [4] In 2022, the airline announced its first annual profit of MWK 4 billion (USD 4.0 million). [5]

History

The airline was formed in July 2013, [6] following the collapse of Air Malawi, the hitherto national carrier, in February 2013, as a result of the inability to pay its debts. [7] [8] A deal with Ethiopian Airlines, that would see this carrier having a 49% shareholding in Air Malawi, was finalised in July 2013; the agreement also contemplated the renaming of Air Malawi to Malawian Airlines Ltd. [9] [10]

Operations commenced on 31 January 2014 serving the BlantyreLilongwe domestic route using 67-seater Bombardier Q400 aircraft. [11] [12] Malawian launched its first international service to Harare on 3 February 2014. [13] Johannesburg was added to the route network two weeks later, on 17 February, [14] and Dar es Salaam was incorporated on 18 February. [15]

Corporate affairs

Ownership

The airline is owned by the Government of Malawi (51%) and Ethiopian Airlines (49%). [16] The government planned to offload 31% of its stake to private investors after a minimum period of 12 months after operations commence and it expected to earn US$6 million from this sale. [17] In March 2016 Jimmy Lipunga, CEO of The Public Private Partnership Commission (PPPC), said that plans by the Malawi government to sell some shares in the airline to members of the public would depend on the airline attaining profitability. [18]

The Malawi Airlines Boeing 737-800 in September 2014 Malawian Airlines Boeing 737-800 (ET-APL) at OR Tambo International Airport.jpg
The Malawi Airlines Boeing 737-800 in September 2014

Malawi Airlines was not profitable from its launch in 2014 until it reported a profit for 2021. Few financial and other trends have been made available by either of the main shareholders (years ending 31 December):

20142015201620172018201920202021
Turnover (MWKb)
Net profit (MWKb)losslosslosslosslosslossloss4.0
Number of employees (at year end)
Number of passengers (m)
Passenger load factor (%)
Number of aircraft (at year end)22222312
Notes/sources [19] [19] [20] [20] [21] [22] [23] [5]

As of April 2021, the company has incurred cumulative losses of MWK 14.09 billion (USD 17.86 million) and has accumulated debts of MWK 13.83 billion (USD 17.54 million). [2] However, in June 2022, the airline announced that it had recorded its first profitable year with profits of MWK 4 billion (USD 4 million) in 2021. [5]

Head office

The airline's head office is located within the Golden Peacock Shopping Complex in Lilongwe. [24]

Destinations

Malawi Airlines serves the following destinations, as of February 2023: [25] [26] [27]

CountryCityAirportStartEndRefs
Kenya Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport 29 March 2017 [28]
Malawi Blantyre Chileka International Airport 31 January 2014 [11] [29]
Malawi Lilongwe Kamuzu International Airport   Hub [29]
South Africa Johannesburg O. R. Tambo International Airport 17 February 2014 [14]
Tanzania Dar es Salaam Julius Nyerere International Airport 18 February 2014 [15]
Zambia Lusaka Kenneth Kaunda International Airport 17 February 2014 [30]
Zimbabwe Harare Harare International Airport 3 February 2014 [13] [31]

The airline plans to add daily flights and expand new regional network routes to Pemba and Nampula in Mozambique, Kigali in Rwanda, as well as Entebbe and Kampala in Uganda. It also plans to add another evening flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. [32]

Fleet

As of May 2024 the airline's fleet consists of the following aircraft: [33]

Malawi Airlines Fleet
AircraftIn ServiceOrdersPassengers[ citation needed ]Notes
CETotal
Boeing 737-800 116150166
Boeing 737-700 116102118
Total2-

See also

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References

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  13. 1 2 "Zimbabwe: Malawian Airways Lands in Zim". AllAfrica.com . The Herald. 5 February 2014. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. 
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  24. "Flight Schedule". Malawian Airlines. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  25. "Flight Route Map". Malawian Airlines. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
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  28. 1 2 Mkandawire, Lucky (14 February 2014). "Malawi Airlines inaugurates first domestic flight". Nyasa Times. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. 
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  32. "Malawian Airlines Fleet". www.airfleets.net. Retrieved 1 May 2024.

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