Proflight Zambia: How to Get to Victoria Falls and the South Luangwa Reserves

History and positioning

Born as a small charter operator, Proflight has over time become Zambia's main scheduled domestic carrier, filling the void left by the repeated failure of the country's earlier state flag carriers and today providing most of the internal air links.

The fleet

The fleet is made up of regional turboprops and small regional jets sized for Zambia's modest domestic demand and for the shorter runways of destinations like Mfuwe, unlike the larger narrowbodies used by the international carriers serving Lusaka.

Routes and network

The main links connect Lusaka to Ndola and Solwezi in the Copperbelt mining region, to Livingstone for Victoria Falls and to Mfuwe, gateway to South Luangwa National Park and its safari lodges, along with a limited number of international routes to nearby southern African capitals.

What passengers say

• The only realistic way to reach the nearest airstrip to several safari lodges without a long road transfer.
• Service generally considered reliable, given the scarcity of domestic alternatives in the country.

What holds the experience back

• High fares relative to distance, a consequence of the scarce competition on these routes.
• Reduced frequencies outside the high safari season, between June and October.
• Tight baggage weight limits on the smaller aircraft used on grass runways.

Proflight Zambia is effectively the default choice for those combining a visit to Victoria Falls with a safari in South Luangwa, because avoiding the flight would mean a much longer road transfer. It is less relevant for those staying only in Lusaka with no domestic continuation. It is best to weigh your safari luggage before departure day, because the small aircraft serving Mfuwe apply tighter per-passenger weight limits than the international flight you arrived on in Lusaka.