Zambia to Chart New African Air Routes, Host Major AviaDev Conference in 2027

Zambia has been officially announced as the host country for AviaDev Africa 2027, the continent's only dedicated air service development conference. This landmark decision, made in partnership with Zambia Airports Corporation Limited (ZACL), firmly positions the Southern African nation at the forefront of Africa's rapidly evolving aviation landscape. The announcement coincides with the launch of the ambitious new Airlift Zambia Initiative, a comprehensive national strategy designed to strategically reposition the country as one of Southern Africa's most vital regional connectivity hubs.

For aviation and travel professionals across Africa, this confirmation holds significant importance. AviaDev Africa has established itself as the continent's premier forum for critical route development discussions, air service negotiation, and connectivity strategy. It brings together key stakeholders including airlines, airports, tourism authorities, government officials, and aviation service providers in a focused, results-oriented environment. Previous successful editions in locations such as Windhoek, Zanzibar, and Botswana have consistently demonstrated how these concentrated dialogues lead to tangible new air services. Zambia's selection as the 2027 host underscores its growing prominence and dynamic aviation market within Southern Africa.

At the core of Zambia's aviation aspirations lies the Airlift Zambia Initiative. This strategic framework is specifically designed to address and close critical connectivity gaps, actively attract new international carriers to the country, and unlock direct long-haul flight routes to major global regions including Europe, the Gulf, Asia, and North America. Crucially, significant groundwork has already been laid to support these ambitions. In recent times, several prominent airlines, including Qatar Airways, Uganda Airlines, Fastjet Zimbabwe, and most recently, Eswatini Air, have commenced operations into Zambia. Concurrently, Proflight Zambia has expanded its regional footprint by introducing new services that connect Lusaka and Livingstone with Windhoek and Gaborone. These burgeoning cross-border connections are instrumental in opening fresh tourism and trade corridors, offering invaluable opportunities for travel sellers throughout the region to integrate into their itineraries.

ZACL's network of four international gateways is set to play distinct and crucial roles within this national strategy. Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, located in the capital Lusaka, will serve as the primary anchor for business and political traffic. Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport in Livingstone is designated as the essential gateway to the iconic Victoria Falls, catering primarily to leisure travellers. Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport in Ndola will support the commercial and energy sectors of the Copperbelt region. Lastly, Mfuwe Airport provides vital access to the world-renowned South Luangwa National Park, highlighting its role in wildlife tourism. This decentralised approach is thoughtfully designed not only to distribute tourism benefits beyond the capital city but also to strategically position Livingstone and Mfuwe as critical access points for wildlife and adventure tourism experiences.

Zambia's aviation sector growth is intricately linked to its impressive tourism trajectory. The country has witnessed a remarkable surge in international arrivals, which more than doubled from approximately 1.1 million in 2022 to an estimated 2.3 million in 2025. The government has set ambitious targets, aiming for between 2.5 and 3 million international arrivals in 2026, with a longer-term vision of cultivating a USD 1 billion tourism industry by 2031. To bolster this significant drive, Zambia has committed substantial funding, roughly USD 55 million, to the tourism sector in 2026. This investment will be allocated towards crucial areas such as infrastructure development, wildlife conservation efforts, targeted destination marketing campaigns, and the strategic opening of new, remote tourism sites. Tourism currently contributes seven percent to the national GDP and provides employment for 473,000 people, with projections indicating an increase to 613,000 jobs by 2034 if the current growth targets are sustained. Priority source markets identified for active engagement include Germany, the United Kingdom, North America, South Africa, India, China, and the Gulf states.

For African travel agents and tour operators, Zambia's burgeoning profile presents a compelling opportunity to position the nation as a fresh, less-crowded alternative to more traditional safari destinations. Its authentic, conservation-led narrative resonates strongly with today's environmentally conscious and discerning travellers. Urvesh Desai, Managing Director of ZACL, succinctly articulated the nation's readiness, stating that Zambia possesses the necessary infrastructure, the ambition, and robust government support. He emphasised the crucial next step: for the world's airlines to personally experience and acknowledge why Zambia rightfully deserves a prominent place on their network maps. Desai also highlighted Zambia's strategic geographical location, with the majority of Southern African neighbours accessible within a convenient two-hour flight, thereby cementing the country's natural role as a regional connectivity node.

Jon Howell, CEO and Founder of AviaDev Africa, echoed this widespread optimism. He described Zambia as precisely the kind of destination that the AviaDev conference is designed to serve and celebrate. Howell specifically pointed to Zambia's extraordinary visitor growth coupled with its current under-connectivity by air as the exact type of opportunity that AviaDev delegates are uniquely positioned to unlock. Beyond its unparalleled natural drama, encompassing iconic sites like Victoria Falls and the vast South Luangwa, Kafue, and Lower Zambezi National Parks, Zambia offers a stable political environment, an Open Skies policy, progressive visa liberalisation initiatives, and a robust macroeconomic reform agenda. These compelling factors have collectively captured the keen attention of international airline planners.

The overarching message emanating from Lusaka to African travel professionals is clear and unmistakable: Zambia is no longer content to remain on the periphery of the continent's aviation narrative. AviaDev Africa 2027 is poised to become the pivotal stage upon which a bold and transformative new chapter of Southern African connectivity will undoubtedly be written.