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Zambia Airways (IATA: ZN) is the national airline of the Republic of Zambia, relaunched in 2021 as a strategic joint venture with Ethiopian Airlines. Through its Lusaka hub and the Ethiopian global network, Goodhope Freight connects Chinese exporters to Zambia and the wider Southern and East African market.
Key facts about Zambia Airways and its cargo proposition for shippers in China.
Local representation of Zambia Airways in mainland China.
Operating fleet and belly-cargo capability. (The historical Zambia Airways operated dedicated freighters such as the Boeing 757-200(PF) and DC-8/DC-10 freighters; the relaunched airline currently runs passenger aircraft with belly cargo only.)
| Aircraft | Type | In service | Max belly cargo* | Range* | Typical routes | Cargo advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-700 | Narrowbody jet | 1 | ~2.2 t [To be confirmed] | ~5,700 km [To be confirmed] | Lusaka–Johannesburg, Lusaka–Nairobi, Lusaka–Dar es Salaam, Lusaka–Harare | Primary regional cargo lift; jet speed and frequency for general and time-sensitive goods into Southern/East Africa. |
| De Havilland Dash 8 Q400 | Turboprop | 1 | ~0.5–1 t [To be confirmed] | ~2,000 km [To be confirmed] | Lusaka–Ndola, Lusaka–Livingstone, Ndola–Solwezi | Reaches smaller domestic airports (Copperbelt, mining towns) with frequent flights — ideal for last-mile distribution within Zambia. |
* Cargo and range figures are approximate for the aircraft type and should be verified with the airline. Please consult your local agent for the latest schedule and confirmed uplift limits.
Direct Zambia Airways service to mainland China.
For reference, the airline's current African network (belly cargo available on all services) is shown below. China-origin routings and frequencies are — please consult your local agent for the latest schedule.
| Route (from Lusaka LUN unless noted) | Frequency | Market / gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Lusaka (LUN) ⇄ Johannesburg (JNB) | Daily (7× weekly) | South Africa gateway |
| Lusaka (LUN) ⇄ Nairobi (NBO) | 4× weekly (Tue / Thu / Fri / Sun) | Kenya gateway (East Africa) |
| Lusaka (LUN) ⇄ Dar es Salaam (DAR) | Several weekly (via NBO) | Tanzania |
| Lusaka (LUN) ⇄ Harare (HRE) | 3× weekly (Tue / Thu / Sat, from 17 Jun 2025) | Zimbabwe |
| Lusaka (LUN) ⇄ Ndola (NLA) | Multiple daily | Copperbelt (mining) |
| Lusaka (LUN) ⇄ Livingstone (LVI) | Multiple daily | Tourism / Victoria Falls |
| Lusaka (LUN) ⇄ Solwezi (SLI) | Several weekly | Mining corridor |
Destinations reachable from China through the Zambia Airways network (with interline partners).
Because Zambia Airways does not currently serve China with its own aircraft, cargo from China first travels on a partner carrier to a Zambia Airways gateway, then continues on Zambia Airways metal. The countries and territories reached through the Zambia Airways network are:
Recommended China routing: Shanghai / Beijing / Guangzhou / Shenzhen → Addis Ababa (ETH) → Lusaka (ZN) → domestic Zambia. Exact routing, carriers and transit points are per shipment — please consult your local agent for the latest schedule.
Why Chinese exporters use Zambia Airways (via the Ethiopian network) for Africa-bound cargo.
For Chinese manufacturers and traders, Zambia Airways offers a dependable, cost-efficient corridor into landlocked Southern and East Africa — a region where surface transport is slow and unreliable, and where air freight is often the only practical option for time-critical or high-value goods. Although the airline does not yet fly its own aircraft to China, its 45%-Ethiopian-owned structure turns that gap into an advantage: cargo can be tendered to Ethiopian Airlines at major Chinese gateways (Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen) and carried on a single through air waybill to Addis Ababa, then seamlessly connected onto Zambia Airways flights into Lusaka and onward to the Copperbelt, Livingstone and Solwezi. Shippers get one booking, one document chain and one liability framework instead of stitching together separate legs.
Zambia itself is a strategically strong destination for Chinese exports. As one of the world's leading copper producers, its mining sector generates steady demand for machinery spares, drilling and conveyor components, electricals and project cargo — shipments that are often heavy, urgent and difficult to send by sea within a sensible lead time. Zambia Airways' Boeing 737-700 provides the regional jet lift needed to move such goods quickly from the Lusaka hub to Johannesburg, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Harare, while the Dash 8 Q400 distributes smaller consignments to domestic mining and agricultural centres that larger carriers skip. This two-tier network is exactly what Chinese suppliers serving African distributors need: a fast international trunk plus genuine last-mile reach inside Zambia.
On cost, routing via Addis Ababa typically beats a long-haul all-the-way product, because the China–Africa trunk is shared with high-density Ethiopian capacity and the final African leg is handled on Zambia Airways' regional aircraft. Goodhope Freight consolidates and negotiates on the China side, so exporters benefit from consolidated rates, predictable departures and local Chinese-language support. For special cargo, the Ethiopian cold-chain and handling backbone at Addis Ababa supports temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals and perishables, and urgent mining spares can be prioritised on the earliest available connection. Customs is simplified too: Goodhope prepares China export documentation and coordinates destination clearance, while Zambia's trade-facilitation environment and the airline's established Lusaka hub reduce dwell time on arrival.
In short, Zambia Airways gives Chinese shippers a safe, well-managed and competitively priced path to Zambia and the surrounding region — combining Ethiopian-grade reliability and network scale with Zambia Airways' local access to the Copperbelt and Southern African markets that Chinese business increasingly depends on.
How to book Zambia Airways cargo space from mainland China through Goodhope Freight.
How Zambia Airways' hub and partnership create value for Africa-bound freight.
Zambia Airways is built around a single, well-positioned hub: Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka (LUN). From there it stitches together Zambia's domestic economy — Ndola and the Copperbelt (the copper and cobalt heartland), Livingstone and the Victoria Falls tourism corridor, and the north-western mining town of Solwezi — with four regional international gateways: Johannesburg (daily), Nairobi (four times weekly), Dar es Salaam and Harare. That shape matters for cargo, because it lets a single import into Lusaka fan out to multiple Zambian demand centres within hours, and lets exports from the mines and farms reach three neighbouring countries without re-consolidation.
The airline's defining capability, however, is its Ethiopian Airlines partnership. Ethiopian holds a 45% stake and provides management, technical support and — critically for China trade — access to the Ethiopian global network through Addis Ababa (ADD), one of the most China-connected hubs in Africa. In practice this means a Chinese shipper is not limited to what Zambia Airways flies itself; via interline and through-booking, a consignment can ride Ethiopian's frequent China–Addis services and then continue on Zambia Airways (or Ethiopian) metal to Lusaka and beyond. The result is broad, reliable coverage of Africa under one AWB, with Ethiopian's operational scale and on-time performance behind it.
For specialized cargo, several options are relevant. Temperature-controlled and perishable goods can leverage the cold-chain handling available at the Addis Ababa hub and at Lusaka, which is important for pharmaceuticals, vaccines and fresh produce moving both ways across the China–Africa lane. Mining and project cargo — the backbone of Zambian demand — benefits from frequent regional lift and Goodhope's experience with heavy, awkward and urgent shipments; where scheduled belly capacity is insufficient, ad-hoc charter or full-charter arrangements can be explored through the airline. The Boeing 737-700 also gives useable belly volume for general and courier-style cargo on the regional trunk routes.
Looking ahead, Zambia Airways has signalled network and fleet growth (additional aircraft and possible new regional routes are under consideration), which would expand both cargo capacity and destination coverage. Until those are confirmed, shippers should treat current fleet, routes and any charter/dangerous-goods acceptance as and verify with Goodhope Freight or the airline before tendering specialized shipments. With a stable hub, an Ethiopian-backed network and a clear domestic distribution footprint, Zambia Airways is a pragmatic, growing choice for Chinese exporters targeting Zambia and Southern/East Africa.