Ethiopian Airlines, which owns a 49% stake in Malawi Airlines, has provided the national carrier of Malawi with another Boeing 737 aircraft to help boost its capacity and enable its expansion into new regional markets.
Malawi Airlines (3W) took delivery of a 118-seat Boeing 737-700 aircraft sourced from Ethiopian Airlines on October 23rd. Registered as ET-AVP, the plane arrived in Lilongwe from Addis Ababa according to flight tracking data. The additional aircraft is part of an agreement between the two airlines stemming from Ethiopian's shareholding in Malawi Airlines.
"The 737-700 will boost our capacity to meet growing demand and help launch new routes as part of our regional expansion plans," said Charles Ngambi, Malawi Airlines' Commercial Manager.
The 737-700 will replace an outgoing Dash 8 turboprop and support Malawi Airlines' plans to launch new routes to several neighbouring countries including Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda, and an additional service to Johannesburg, South Africa. The additional capacity is aimed at meeting rising demand on the airline's network.
Ngambi outlined several new routes that would be added to Malawi Airlines' daily schedules with the additional capacity. This includes flights to Pemba and Nampula in Mozambique, as well as Kigali in Rwanda. International routes to Entebbe and Kampala in Uganda are also planned, along with an additional evening flight from Lilongwe to Johannesburg Tambo International Airport in South Africa.
The expansion builds on Malawi Airlines' growing regional network within Africa, enabled by assets provided from its strategic partner Ethiopian Airlines as the largest shareholder.