Malawi Airlines resumes flights to South Africa!

The national carrier of Malawi, Malawi Airlines, is set to resume flights between Kamuzu International Airport (LLW) in Lilongwe and OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg. The airline will initially operate return flights to Johannesburg on 02 October, 04 October, 06 October, 09 October, 10 October and 11 October 2020. Flight ET20 will depart Lilongwe  at 09:20 and will arrive in Johannesburg at 11:35. The return flight (ET21) will depart Johannesburg at 12:20 and will arrive in Lilongwe at 14:35.

n.b. Malawi Airlines is operated by Ethiopian Airlines (ET), which owns 49% of the airline. The remaining 51% are owned by the Government of Malawi.

online flight booking on TravelComments.com >>

Malawi: The main runway at Chileka International Airport (Blantyre) will remain closed until late October 2019! [update]

update (02 January 2020): The main runway at Chileka International Airport (BLZ) in Blantyre has been re-opened on 01 January 2020.

update (16 December 2019): According to Malawi's Minister of Transport and Public Works, Ralph Jooma, Chileka International Airport (BLZ) in Blantyre will be fully open in January 2020!

update (29 November 2019): The flag carrier airline of Malawi, Malawi Airlines, has introduced a new flight time table effective from 01 until 31 December 2019 due to the extension of maintenance and rehabilitation works being carried out at the main runway at Chileka International Airport (BLZ) in Blantyre. We'll keep you posted!



update (27 November 2019): According to Malawi Tourism, the main runway at Chileka International Airport (BLZ) in Blantyre will reopen in January 2020!

update (14 November 2019): According to the Nyasa Times, major airlines are expected to return to Chileka International Airport (BLZ) in Blantyre after 30 November 2019.

update (12 November 2019): According to Malawian radio station Capital FM,  the main runway at Chileka International Airport (BLZ) in Blantyre is set to reopen in the first week of December 2019. We'll keep you posted! 

update (31 October 2019): The flag carrier airline of Malawi, Malawi Airlines, has introduced a new flight time table effective from 01 until 30 November 2019 due to the extension of maintenance and rehabilitation works being carried out at the main runway at Chileka International Airport (BLZ) in Blantyre. We'll keep you posted!



The main runway at Chileka International Airport (BLZ) in Blantyre, Malawi, will remain closed for an extended period until 31 October 2019 for maintenance and rehabilitation. The runway was originally closed on 24 April 2019 and was intended to re-open at the end of July 2019.South Africa's flag carrier, South African Airways (SAA), has therefore made alternative travel arrangements to ensure continued operations to and from Blantyre and to mitigate further impact of the runway closure on its customers and passengers. Customers of South African Airways will travel between Johannesburg and Kamuzu International Airport (LLW) in Lilongwe on board an aircraft operated by South African Airways, and then between Lilongwe and Blantyre on an Ethiopian Airlines flight, from 31 August 2019 to 31 October 2019. Ethiopian Airlines is South African Airways' partner airline in that market and there is an interline agreement to seamlessly facilitate customer transfers between the two airlines.

online flight booking on TravelComments.com >>

Malawi: The main runway at Chileka International Airport (Blantyre) to close for three month!

The main runway at Chileka International Airport (BLZ) in Blantyre, Malawi, will be closed for two month from 24 April 2019 until 24 July 2019 due to rehabilitation works. The airport's second runway ("auxiliary runway"), which can only be used by small aircrafts, will remain open during the two month. The closure of the main runway affects big aircrafts operated by Malawian Airlines, Kenya Airways as well as South African Airways. They will be temporarily diverted to Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) in Lilongwe. Blantyre's Chileka International Airport (BLZ) is located about 340 km along the M1 from the airport in Lilongwe.

online flight booking on TravelComments.com >>

Malawi: Malawian Airlines increased flights to various destinations in July 2018!

The flag carrier of Malawi, Malawian Airlines, increased frequencies on various routes in July 2018. The airline now offers seven instead of four weekly flights between Chileka International Airport (BLZ) in Blantyre and Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) in Dar es Salaam, four instead of three weekly flights between Blantyre and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) in Nairobi as well as three instead of two weekly flights from Kamuzu International Airport (LLW) in Lilongwe via Robert G. Mugabe International Airport (HRE) in Harare to Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (LUN) in Lusaka. The return flight from Lusaka via Harare to Lilongwe remains a three-weekly service.

online flight booking on TravelComments.com >>

Ethiopian Airlines & Malawian Airlines to operate domestic flights in Mozambique!

update (07 Sept 2017): The Mozambican Civil Aviation Institute (IACM) launched a public tender for the allocation of domestic, regional and intercontinental routes, and asked interested Mozambican and foreign companies to apply for them in April 2017. Ethiopian Airlines and Malawi Airlines have been selected by the IACM to explore these routes under the public tender. While Ethiopian Airlines has expressed an interest in exploring all domestic routes set out in the tender, Malawi Airlines only has interest in specific domestic routes.

According to the Portuguese edition of Voice of America (VOA), the Instituto de Aviação Civil de Moçambique (Mozambican Civil Aviation Institute; IACM) has granted Ethiopian Airlines and Malawian Airlines the right to operate domestic flights in Mozambique. The airlines have up to three month to start operations in Mozambique; otherwise Ethiopian Airlines and Malawian Airlines will lose their freedom rights (#8/#9?) in Mozambique.

online flight booking on TravelComments.com >>

Malawian Airlines to introduce three new regional flights!

The flag carrier airline of Malawi, Malawian Airlines, is set to introduce flights from Lilongwe International Airport (LLW) in Lilongwe to Harare International Airport (HRE) in Harare, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) in Nairobi (Kenya) and Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ) on Zanzibar.
Flights between Lilongwe and Kenya's capital Nairobi (4 weekly flights) are planned to commence on 29 March 2017, while the new service to Zanzibar (from 05 April 2017; 4 weekly flights) is an extension of Malawian Airlines' existing route between Lilongwe and Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) in Dar es Salaam. Flights to Harare will start on 05 April 2017 (Lilongwe - Lusaka - Harare - Lilongwe; 1 weekly routing) as well as on 07 April 2017 (Lilongwe <> Blantyre <> Harare; 2 weekly flights)

Lilongwe 17:45 > 21:00 Nairobi (4 weekly flights from 29 March 2017)
Nairobi 06:15 > 07:30 Lilongwe
 
Lilongwe 17:40 > 20:40 Dar es Salaam 21:25 > 21:55 Zanzibar (4 weekly flights from 05 April 2017) 
Zanzibar 05:15 > 05:45 Dar es Salaam 06:30 > 07:30 Lilongwe
 
Lilongwe 09:00 > 10:15 Lusaka 11:00 > 11:55 Harare 12:40 > 13:50 Lilongwe (1 weekly routing from 05 April 2017)

Lilongwe 09:00 > 09:40 Blantyre 10:25 > 11:30 Harare (2 weekly flights from 07 April 2017)
Harare 12:30 > 13:35 Blantyre 14:20 > 15:00  Lilongwe

online flight booking on TravelComments.com >>

Malawian Airlines: Direct flights to Johannesburg!

The flag carrier airline of Malawi, Malawian Airlines, has introduced direct flights between Lilongwe International Airport (LLW) in Lilongwe and OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg and between Chileka International Airport (BLZ) in Blantyre and OR Tambo International Airport (JNB). The airline previously operated flights to Johannesburg from Lilongwe via Blantyre. Malawian Airlines will operate the flights on board a Boeing 737-800 with 138 economy-class seats and 16 business-class seats on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

• Lilongwe 08:00 > 10:30 Johannesburg
• Johannesburg 18:20 > 20:50 Lilongwe
• Johannesburg 11:25 > 13:40 Blantyre
• Blantyre 15:05 > 17:20 Johannesburg 

online flight booking on TravelComments.com >>

Malawi: Malawian Airlines set to launch flights to Mozambique

The flag carrier of Malawi, Malawian Airlines, will launch flights to Mozambique. From 01 November 2014, the airline will operate two flights per week from Lilongwe (LLW) to Nampula (APL) and three weekly flights from Lilongwe (LLW) to Tete (TET).

Lilongwe - Nampula - Blantyre - Lilongwe (ET050)
LLW 08:25 - 09:40 APL 10:25 - 11:25 BLZ 12:10 - 1250 LLW
Lilongwe - Nampula (ET050, ET051)
LLW 14:15 - 15:30 APL (ET050)
APL 16:51 - 17:30 LLW (ET051)

Lilongwe - Tete - Harare - Lilongwe (ET038)
LLW 08:25 - 09:05 TET 09:50 - 10:40 HRE 11:25 - 12:50 LLW
Lilongwe - Tete - Harare - Lilongwe (ET038, ET039)
LLW 14:00 – 15:15 HRE 16:00 – 16:50 TET (ET038)
LLW 15:40 – 16:55 HRE 17:40 – 18:30 TET (ET038)
TET 17:35 – 18:15 LLW (ET039)
TET 19:15 – 19:55 LLW (ET039)

 

#Mozambique - Malawian Airlines to introduce in November scheduled flights to Tete and Nampula, Flights to Tete will also stop at Harare.
— AIMnews (@MozNewsAgency) September 23, 2014

online flight booking on TravelComments.com >>

Malawi's Department of Civil Aviation suspends Kenya Airways' freedom route right (Lusaka <> Lilongwe)

Following the introduction of daily flights between Lilongwe (Malawi) and Lusaka (Zambia) via Blantyre (Malawi) by the recently launched Malawian Airlines, Malawi's Department of Civil Aviation has suspended the freedom route rights which allowed Kenya Airways to carry passengers between the two destinations from 28 Feb 2014. Passengers holding tickets with Kenya Airways between Lilongwe and Lusaka are advised to contact the airline to get refunding.
Malawian Airlines is a public-private partnership between the Government of Malawi, Ethiopian Airlines and Malawian investors. The new airline, which was formed after the collapse of Malawi's national airline, Air Malawi, launched operations on 31 Jan 2014 with flights between Lilongwe and Blantyre.

online flight booking on TravelComments.com >>

Malawi: Malawi(an) Airlines to start operations in Jan 2014

update (12 Feb 2014): According to Tourism Update, Malawian Airlines has started operating flights from Lilongwe and Blantyre to Lusaka, Harare, Beira, Tete and Maputo, with flights to Johannesburg scheduled to start from 17 February 2014.

update (05 Feb 2014): Ok, now it seems that the official name ist "Malawian Airlines"... According to ch-aviation, the airline launched operations on 31 Jan 2014 with flights between Lilongwe and Blantyre. Zimbabwean online news service Bulawayo24 reports that Malawian Airlines made its maiden flight to Harare on 03 Feb 2014 and that Zimbabwe's capital will be serviced three times a week.

update (04 Feb 2014): According to airlineroute.net, Malawian Airlines (not Malawi Airlines) has launched operation on 30 January 2014, initially operating Lilongwe – Blantyre – Harare service. The airline will be gradually expanding operations to Johannesburg, Lusaka and Dar es Salaam during February 2014.

update (29 Jan 2014): According to aviation specialist ch-aviation, Malawi Airlines will commence its first international flight on 31 March 2014 and not on 31 Jan 2014. The airline's first international destination will be Johannesburg. Other international destination will include Harare, Lusaka, Beira, Tete, Maputo & Dar es Salaam. We'll keep you posted!

update (27 Jan 2014): According to news reports from Malawi, Malawi Airlines is scheduled to launch its operations on 30 Jan 2014 with a domestic flight from Lilongwe to Blantyre. The airline's first international flight will be on 31 Jan 2014. Malawi Airlines will receive its first two airplanes, a Boeing 737-800 and a Bombardier Q400, on 29 Jan 2014. Both carriers are less than two years in operation. Malawi Airlines' flagship route will be Lilongwe - Blantyre- Johannesburg (1 daily flight). The airline will also operate double daily flights between Lilongwe and Blantyre.

update (21 Jan 2014): First of all: it seems that the name of the new airline is "Malawi Airlines" and not "Malawian Airlines". According to new reports, the maiden flight of Malawi's new airline is expected to be on 29 Jan 2014. We'll keep you posted!

update (13 Jan 2014): According to the Malawian newspaper Nyasa Times, Malawi(an) Airlines might commence its maiden flight to OR Tambo International Aiport in Johannesburg (South Africa) on 20 or 22 January 2014.

According to aviation specialists airlineroute.net, Malawian Airlines, a public-private partnership between the Government of Malawi, Ethiopian Airlines and Malawian investors, will start operating on 15 January 2014. The new airline, which was formed after the collapse of Malawi's national airline, Air Malawi, initially plannend to commence flights on 10 January 2014.
 
Malawian Airlines will service the following routes:

• Lilongwe - Blantyre - Beira (3x per week)
• Lilongwe - Blantyre - Harare (3x per week)
• Lilongwe – Blantyre – Johannesburg (1 per day)
• Lilongwe – Blantyre – Lusaka ((4x per week)
• Lilongwe – Blantyre – Maputo (3x per week)
• Lilongwe – Blantyre – Tete (2x per week)
• Lilongwe – Dar es Salaam (3x per week)
• Lilongwe – Lusaka (3x per week)

online flight booking on TravelComments.com >>