Malawi Airlines (''Malawian Airlines'' until 2016) is the

flag carrier A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations. Hi ...

airline of

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeas ...

, based in Lilongwe and with its hub at

Lilongwe International Airport Kamuzu International Airport is an international airport serving Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi. It is also known as Lilongwe International Airport. History The airport was built in 1977 by the Nello L. Teer Company, taking over most ...

. It was established in 2012 after the liquidation of

Air Malawi Air Malawi Limited was the state-owned national airline of Malawi, based in Blantyre, which operated regional passenger services. Because of its financial situation, the airline was placed in voluntary liquidation, the Malawi Government announ ...

, the former national airline.

Ethiopian Airlines Ethiopian Airlines (commonly referred to as Ethiopian; am, የኢትዮጵያ አየር መንገድ, translit=Ye-Ītyōṗṗyā āyer menged), formerly ''Ethiopian Air Lines'' (EAL), is the flag carrier of Ethiopia, and is wholly owned by ...

operates it under a

management contract A management contract is an arrangement under which operational control of an enterprise is vested by contract in a separate enterprise that performs the necessary managerial functions in return for a fee. Management contracts involve not just sell ...

and owns 49% of the airline after it emerged as the winner following competitive bidding. 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. However, on 5 May 2021 the

Government of Malawi Politics of Malawi takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Malawi is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the ...

confirmed that it intended to recapitalise the airline instead. In 2022, the airline announced its first annual profit of MWK 4 billion (USD 4.0 million).

History

The airline was formed in , following the collapse of

, the hitherto

national carrier A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations. Hist ...

, in February 2013, as a result of the inability to pay its debts. A deal with

, that would see this carrier having a 49% shareholding in Air Malawi, was finalised in ; the agreement also contemplated the renaming of Air Malawi to ''Malawian Airlines Ltd.'' Operations commenced on serving the

Blantyre Blantyre () is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, and its second largest city, with an enumerated 800,264 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial and industrial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, L ...

– Lilongwe domestic route using 67-seater Bombardier Q400 aircraft. Malawian launched its first international service to

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

on .

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

was added to the route network two weeks later, on 17 February, and Dar es Salaam was incorporated on 18 February.

Corporate affairs

Ownership

The airline is owned by the

(51%) and Ethiopian Airlines (49%). 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. 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.

Business trends

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): 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). 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.

Head office

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

Destinations

Malawian Airlines serves the following destinations, :

Fleet

As of July 2021 the airline's fleet consists of the following aircraft:

References

External links

Ethiopian Airways Becomes Strategic Partner of Malawian Airlines
{{Authority control Airlines of Malawi Airlines established in 2013 Lilongwe 2013 establishments in Malawi Ethiopian Airlines