As she welcomes passengers, explains the safety features of the aircraft and makes sure they are comfortable, Chisomo Mwenda Zulu nurtures a secret dream.
Much as she loves her job as cabin crew for Proflight Zambia, one day she sees herself at the front of the aircraft – as a pilot.
“I have a dream of getting to the front, to become a pilot,” says the softly spoken Chisomo. “Hopefully in the long run I’ll get there.”
As a professional cabin crew member on the airline’s Jetstream 41, the CRJ-100 and Dash 8 Q300 aircraft, Chisomo starts her day very early at 05:30am on a normal work schedule; that’s if she has an early flight around 06:30am.
She says: “We sign on early, an hour before departure time. Normally on such an early work schedule I wake up at least between 03:30am or 04:00am to get ready for work. If departure time for a Ndola flight is 06:30am, I have to be at the office by 05:30am.”
The first thing Chisomo does when she reports for work is sign the sign-on authorisation sheet.
“I start my paperwork and get a briefing in the dispatch office with the flight deck crew once I sign on. From the time I sign on to the time I sign out, I enjoy the activities in my work because my job is interactive, especially that it revolves around my crew and the different passengers, I meet onboard.”
Safety being the number one feature in her job, Chisomo plays an important role in the operations of the airline. With her proactive job, she hopes to push her carrier further by continuing to learn and grow with Proflight until she gets to her dream of being at the front of the aircraft.
And when she’s not working?
“On my free time I love to go out to watch movies at the cinema with my husband. Family time is very important to me. And I make sure I rest as well as get my beauty time getting my nails done,” laughs Chisomo.
About Proflight Zambia
Proflight Zambia was established in 1991 and is Zambia’s leading scheduled airline. From its base in Lusaka its domestic routes include Livingstone, Mfuwe, Ndola and Solwezi, and regional routes to Lilongwe in Malawi, Durban and Johannesburg in South Africa.
The airline prides itself in providing a safe, reliable, efficient and friendly service, and offering good value to business and leisure travellers locally and internationally.
The airline operates a 50-seater Bombardier CRJ-100 jet, 50-seat Bombardier Dash 8-300, and three 29-seater Jetstream 41 aircraft.
More information is available at www.flyzambia.com.
