Lusaka — Zambia is to relaunch its national airline after 24 years without a flag carrier following a deal with government-owned Ethiopian Airlines that will see $30m invested in the new venture. The announcement, which was made on Monday, marks Ethiopian Airlines’ growing role in aviation across Africa as it looks to cement its position as the continent’s largest airline by revenue. The carrier from Africa’s second most populous country already has interests in the airline of Malawi and Togo-based private carrier ASKY, and has signalled its desire to help establish nascent state-run carrier Nigeria Air. "The initial investment as we start up the national carrier will be $30m. It is expected that the new airline will operate 12 aircraft and carry over 1.9-million passengers by 2028," said a statement jointly issued by Zambia’s Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and Ethiopian Airlines. Zambia Airways was liquidated in 1994 when vice-president Godfrey Miyanda took to state TV to...

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