LUSAKA, ZAMBIA – Proflight Zambia has announced the resumption of its scheduled flights to Kasama in Northern Province following completion of runway and terminal infrastructure upgrades at the city’s airport. The airline will commence scheduled flights on 19th March,2024, using its 29-seat twin-turbo prop Jetstream 41 aircraft. The service will operate twice weekly on Tuesday and Thursday, directly from Lusaka to Kasama on Tuesday, departing at 08:00 and arriving at 09:30. Additionally, there will be a flight via Mansa on Thursday, departing from Lusaka at 08:00 and arriving in Kasama at 10:25. Direct flights from Kasama to Lusaka on Thursday will depart at 10:50, arriving at 12:30, and flights via Mansa from Kasama to Lusaka on Tuesday will depart at 09:55, arriving in Lusaka at 12:20. The schedule also allows for convenient connections for customers between Ndola and Kasama via Lusaka. Proflight Director of Flight Operations Captain Josias Walubita thanked the government, including the Zambia Airports Corporation and Zambia Civil Aviation Authority (ZCAA), for upgrading the runway. He acknowledged the substantial undertaking and significant investment, welcoming the reopening of this crucial airport. Proflight previously operated the Kasama route using a 12-seat Caravan aircraft for six years until 2017 when the airport was closed for construction work. The airline began servicing Mansa twice weekly in March 2022 and currently operates the route daily. The airline hopes Kasama will also gain popularity in the same way that Mansa has. President Hakainde Hichilema officially commissioned Kasama airport in November 2023, identifying it as a pivotal hub for economic expansion in the Northern circuit. He underscored its crucial role in attracting investment, especially in the tourism, mining, and agriculture sectors, making a substantial contribution to poverty reduction in the region. Kasama is an important provincial capital in Northern Province, and the Proflight service provides the only scheduled access to the region. It brings convenient access for both business and leisure travellers. The service offers easy access for leisure travellers interested in exploring the Northern waterfalls, Shiwa Ng’andu, Kapishya Hot Springs, and Lake Tanganyika, the deepest lake in Africa, holding the greatest volume of fresh water on the continent and accounting for 16% of the world’s available fresh water. The province also provides access to the significant Mpulungu Port and the Kalambo Falls, the second-highest drop waterfall in Africa.