► MALAWI: Ulendo Airlink starts scheduled Lilongwe - Blantyre flights.

Malawi's Ulendo Airlink (7Q) has commenced a 5x weekly air service between the country's two commercial hubs, Blantyre and Lilongwe effective September 15. Services were previously operated in 2011 before a moratorium was placed on the route by the Malawian government to protect the now defunct Air Malawi (QM).

► MALAWI: Malawi Airlines to launch with a B737-800, Q400; outlines planned network.

Malawi Airlines, successor to the now defunct Air Malawi Ltd, has outlined its planned initial route network and its fleet, which has now been revealed to consist of a Boeing 737-800 and a Bombardier Q400. The aircraft are to be sourced from majority shareholder Ethiopian Airlines (ET).

► MALAWI: Air Malawi Ltd's lone ATR42, two 737s put up for sale by liquidator.

Mr Lekani Katandula, a partner at audit and business advisory firm Deloitte, the officially appointed liquidators for the now defunct Air Malawi Ltd (QM), has announced that the airline's fleet of three aircraft, an ATR42, a B737-300 and a B737-500, are now up for sale to all interested parties.

► MALAWI: Kenya Airways to start 3x weekly flights to Blantyre from August.

Following its granting of rights to serve the city, Kenya Airways (KQ) has outlined its tentative timetable to Blantyre, Malawi which it plans to connect Nairobi with via a 3x weekly Embraer E190 operated flight, set to début from August 2.

► MOZAMBIQUE: LAM plans Cape Town and Durban, Blantyre and Lilongwe in 2014; to cover all SADC capitals by 2017 with Brazil ops also on the radar.

Marlene Manave, the CEO of LAM - Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (TM) has announced ambitious route expansion plans that will see the Mozambican carrier serving all Southern African Development Community (SADC) capitals by 2017 with Brazilian flights to follow.

► MALAWI: Kenya Airways granted rights to Blantyre; 5th Freedom rights to Lusaka reinstated.

Kenya Airways (KQ) says it has been granted approval by the Malawian Government to begin flights into Blantyre's Chileka Airport effective June 3, 2013. In addition, its 5th Freedom Rights on the Lilongwe (Malawi) - Lusaka (Zambia) vv. sector of its Nairobi - Lilongwe - Lusaka - Nairobi vv. flights have also been reinstated. Neither of the developments at this time of writing, however, currently reflect on the GDS.

■ MALAWI: Government planning to build new international airport to replace Blantyre's Chileka.

The Malawian Government has announced plans to construct a new international airport in Blantyre, the country's economic hub, to replace the current Chileka International Airport. The project, amongst others, will form part of the country's ongoing economic recovery plan (ERP).

►► BOTSWANA: Air Botswana officially announce new destinations; new timetables loaded.

[UPDATE 03 APRIL 2013]  Following on from our previous post on the topic, Air Botswana (BP) have announced their new updated timetable with new destinations including Johannesburg (Lanseria), Cape Town,  Nairobi (Kenya), Lilongwe, Blantyre (Malawi) and Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) as new destinations from the Batswana carrier's hub, Gaborone. Lusaka, Zambia will also see a third extra Wednesday frequency served in tandem to Lilongwe, Malawi which will receive a twice weekly service (one direct and the other via Lusaka.)

■ MALAWI: Massive civil servant strike forces closure of Lilongwe & Blantyre airports.

As they had previously threatened, civil servants in Malawi have gone on strike over payrise demands, thus bringing the country to a virtual standstill with Lilongwe's Kamuzu International Airport, and later Blantyre's Chileka International Airport, having being forced to close.

■ MALAWI: Establishment of new Airports Authority to aide improvement of ageing airport infrastructure.

The Malawian Government is optimistic that the establishment of a new independent airports management company - the Malawi Airports Authority - will provide the country with a unique opportunity to improve its ageing infrastructure.

► MALAWI: Ethiopian Airlines to start Blantyre flights from March 2013.

Ethiopian Airlines (ET) continues its push into southern Africa with the launch in Summer 2013 of a service to Malawi's commercial hub, Blantyre. The new 3x weekly, Boeing 737-800 operated route, Addis Ababa - Lilongwe - Blantyre - Addis Ababa, begins 31 March 2013.

► BOTSWANA: Air Botswana planning Nairobi, Lilongwe, Blantyre, Cape Town, Lanseria flights from October onwards?

Reliable Zimbabwean aviation blog, Harare Airport Blogger, is reporting that Botswana's national carrier, Air Botswana (BP), is planning to launch various new regional routes with effect from 28 October 2012, though these reports have not yet officially been confirmed by Air Botswana itself.

► ZIMBABWE: Tanzania's Precision Air eyes Harare via Blantyre before year end.

Tanzania's  Precision Air (PW), in addition to announcing its partnership with Vodacom Tanzania in launching M-Pesa - an innovative method of paying for one's air tickets using cellphone airtime - and having received a shot in the arm last week when 41% shareholder Kenya Airways (KQ) announced it would inject "between USD4 - 6million" into the carrier from its own USD80million loan from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to help aid the Tanzanian regional carrier's fleet expansion plans, today announced plans to resurrect its service to Harare, Zimbabwe albeit via Blantyre, Malawi, and not Lilongwe, Malawi, as originally intended.

► MALAWI: Air Malawi struggles to get back on feet; rebuild confidence.

Having been forced to temporarily cease operations last year due to lack of aircraft, Air Malawi (QM) has been finding the going hard since re-entering the market for both regional and domestic flights.

Upon resuming flights on 29 March 2012 to Johannesburg using a leased Boeing 737-200, the airline encountered severe customer backlash as it was forced to fly a solitary passenger to Lusaka shortly after - a phenomenon not unknown to southern African airlines these days.

However, in an attempt to woe back passenger numbers on the domestic Lilongwe-Blantyre front, Air Malawi says it has carefully designed schedules for its daily flights between Blantyre and Lilongwe to serve the needs of business travellers between the two cities, using its Boeing 737 and ATR-42.

"Air Malawi's Tariffs and Industry Affairs Manager Tony Chimpukuso said the flights have  already proved useful and convenient for local travellers as it leaves early in the morning in Blantyre and returns late in the evening to enable customers do all their business assignments during the day.

The flights also operate during weekends, according to Chimpukuso."

Read More Here [The Daily Times Malawi]

The updates come as Malawi is scheduled to hold a summit of the African Union in July.