Leading on from our previous post, Malawi's Privatization Commission yesterday declared Ethiopian Airlines (ET) the winner of the 49% Foreign Shareholder stake up for grabs in a renewed Malawian national carrier, set to succeed the quasi-defunct Air Malawi (QM). The Ethiopian national carrier was named the preferred bidder for the position of strategic partner in the new airline, Air Malawi (2012) Limited, based on its "global experience and competitiveness".
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| Air Malawi ATR42 (Air Malawi) |
According to the Public Private Partnership Commission (PPPC)'s CEO Jimmy Lipunga, Ethiopian scored 67 points against Fly Africa of South Africa's 61 and Global Business Networks of Botswana's 59 points.
Ethiopian will now control a 49 percent stake in Air Malawi (2012) with the Malawian government holding 20 percent while the remaining 31 percent is open to Malawian citizens who can either be individuals or institutions.
Ethiopian will now control a 49 percent stake in Air Malawi (2012) with the Malawian government holding 20 percent while the remaining 31 percent is open to Malawian citizens who can either be individuals or institutions.
"The selection has been largely influenced by its global experience and competitiveness. The viability of the restructured Air Malawi will be greatly enhanced through strategic partnering with a global player. Air Malawi (2012) Limited will gain more traffic through international route linkages," said Lipunga.
Source [DailyTimes]
Negotiations between the government and Ethiopian Airlines will now be opened regarding the new venture's capitalization and choice of local partner, with hopes that a new airline will be able to start operations within the "next two months".
Ethiopian Airlines is also in the process of setting up a national carrier in partnership with the Zambian Government, set to take to the skies later this year.
