14 November 2009
FORMER Zambian Airways chief executive officer (CEO), Don MacDonald has been appointed commercial director at Zambezi Airlines effective November 9, 2009.
Mr MacDonald, a chartered accountant, confirmed the development in an interview yesterday, saying he was delighted to be back in the airline industry.
"There is no doubt it is a very pressured industry to work in, but once you are bitten by the aviation bug it is hard to leave," Mr Macdonald said.
"I am convinced Zambia needs and deserves a strong carrier based here and connecting the SADC region and beyond, and I am very grateful to the board of Zambezi for the confidence they have showed in me by asking me to take up this exciting post," he said.
Mr MacDonald said he had enjoyed a good four years with the now defunct Zambian Airways and he was grateful for the opportunity it gave him to learn about the aviation industry.
He was sad to hear the airline had closed but said since the closure happened two years after he left the company, he was not in a position to comment on events which led to the demise of the airline.
Mr MacDonald comes with a significant track record in aviation, having been CEO of Zambian Airways from 2003 to 2007, during which he was credited with turning the struggling domestic carrier into a vibrant and profitable low cost regional airline which made a serious impact on routes from Zambia to South Africa and Tanzania.
Following his departure in 2007, Zambian Airways descended into decline and ceased operations early this year.
The regional gap left by Zambian Airways was filled by Zambezi, which began operating flights to Johannesburg and Dar-es-Salaam in June.
Mr MacDonald announced Zambezi's new 'Christmas Comes Early' promotion for customers flying to Dar-es-Salaam and Johannesburg.
"We are very grateful to Zambians for the support they have showed us and we genuinely wish to give something back to the travelling public.
"As a result, we have decided to offer all economy class seats to both destinations at a return fare of K999,000. We will guarantee the K999,000 fare for travel any time between now and January 31, 2010, except for the actual week of Christmas," he said.
Currently, Zambezi Airlines has two new generation Boeing 737-500 aircraft that service regional scheduled flights to Dar-es-Salaam, Johannesburg and Windhoek.
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