In Zambia’s vast northern and northwestern reaches, the return and expansion of scheduled air services are quietly reshaping how people and goods move. Proflight Zambia’s evolving network now places particular focus on the provincial centers of Mansa and Solwezi, tying them more tightly to Lusaka, the Copperbelt and regional gateways in South Africa. For business travelers, miners, civil servants and tourists alike, these links are unlocking hours of saved travel time and opening up regions that once felt remote at the end of long and unpredictable road journeys.
Stronger Domestic Links: Why Mansa and Solwezi Matter
For many travelers, Zambia’s tourism story begins with Victoria Falls and South Luangwa National Park. Yet far from the well-trodden routes of Livingstone and Mfuwe, the provincial hubs of Mansa in Luapula Province and Solwezi in North Western Province play a pivotal role in the country’s economic and social life. They serve as gateways to rich mineral deposits, fertile agricultural areas and lesser-known waterfalls, lakes and cultural attractions that collectively form Zambia’s so-called Northern Circuit.
Mansa anchors Luapula, a province defined by a chain of rivers, lakes and waterfalls stretching between the Democratic Republic of Congo border and Lake Bangweulu. The town has historically been poorly connected by air, leaving travelers facing long road journeys from the Copperbelt or Lusaka. Proflight’s renewed commitment to the Copperbelt–Mansa corridor and increased Lusaka connections has shifted that reality, integrating Mansa more firmly into the national air network and offering same-day links to key commercial centers.
Solwezi, meanwhile, sits at the heart of Zambia’s copper and gold rich northwest. It has transformed from a small town to a booming mining hub within two decades, largely due to large-scale operations in North Western Province. Daily Proflight flights between Solwezi and Lusaka, and onward connectivity to Johannesburg, have effectively placed the town on the regional business map. For mining houses, contractors, government agencies and service suppliers, predictable air services are no longer a luxury but a critical enabler of investment and operational efficiency.
New Frequencies to Mansa: Bringing Luapula Closer
Proflight’s route to Mansa has steadily evolved from a niche connection into a lifeline for Luapula’s business and tourism ambitions. The airline’s latest schedule enhancements include the addition of new weekly flights, building toward a near-daily pattern that serves both Lusaka and Ndola-based travelers. Recent announcements tied to the introduction of jet services on the Lusaka–Kasama route confirm that Mansa will benefit from added Tuesday and Thursday frequencies, with the route operating six days a week except Sundays.
These changes have practical consequences on the ground. Officials from Luapula Province have long argued that air connectivity is essential for unlocking the region’s potential, from its agribusiness opportunities to its underexplored waterfalls and cultural sites. With more reliable flights into Mansa, officials can travel to and from Lusaka for meetings in a single day, investors can inspect projects without losing two days on the road, and local entrepreneurs can connect to broader markets with greater ease.
There is also a historical dimension. Proflight previously operated the Ndola–Mansa route in the early 2010s before suspending it. Its reinstatement and ongoing reinforcement now symbolize a broader shift in Zambia’s domestic aviation strategy, one that recognizes that secondary cities and provincial capitals require more than sporadic links if they are to thrive. Regular flights bring predictability, and predictability builds confidence among travelers, businesses and tour operators considering Luapula as a destination.
Solwezi on the Map: Mining, Trade and Cross-Border Links
On the western side of the country, Solwezi has become one of Proflight’s busiest domestic destinations. Current schedules show multiple daily flights between Lusaka and Solwezi, with departures from the capital in the early morning and mid-afternoon, and corresponding returns that allow travelers to conduct full business days on either end. The airline typically utilizes a mix of Jetstream 41 turboprops and 50-seat CRJ jets, tailoring capacity to the heavy corporate demand generated by mining and related industries.
Solwezi’s significance extends beyond domestic boundaries. Proflight emphasizes that travelers can reach Solwezi from Johannesburg in approximately four hours, flying via Lusaka on a single-ticket itinerary. For executives, engineers and technical specialists shuttling between South Africa’s financial capital and Zambia’s northwestern mine sites, this is a game-changer compared to circuitous connections or days spent driving on busy trunk roads.
The town also plays a supporting role for neighboring Kalumbila, another key mining hub, where Proflight has reinstated flights to ease what was once a punishing 14-hour road journey from Lusaka. By linking Kalumbila and Solwezi into a coordinated network with Lusaka as the central hub, the airline is effectively knitting together Zambia’s industrial corridor with its political and commercial heart. That, in turn, strengthens Zambia’s attractiveness for new resource and infrastructure investments in the northwest.
Lusaka as a Hub: Connecting Regions and the Wider World
Central to the expansion of services to Mansa and Solwezi is Lusaka’s role as a domestic and regional hub. Proflight’s schedule from Lusaka has grown into a web of routes that includes not only Mansa and Solwezi but also Ndola, Kasama, Kalumbila, Mfuwe and Livingstone, alongside international links to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Windhoek and seasonally to Maun. For travelers headed to the provinces, this means that many journeys now require just a single connection in the capital, often within the same morning or afternoon.
For example, a traveler based in Johannesburg can board a morning Proflight service to Lusaka and connect onward to Solwezi or Mansa, reaching even remote mining or agricultural sites before the end of the working day. Conversely, residents of Luapula or North Western Province can connect via Lusaka to Southern Africa’s major centers without the need for overnight layovers. This hub-and-spoke structure mirrors the model used by larger regional airlines but is finely tuned to Zambia’s geographic and economic realities.
Lusaka’s role as a hub also boosts tourism to lesser-known destinations. As safari travelers fly into Lusaka for connections to South Luangwa or Lower Zambezi, the same network offers an easy add-on to explore Mansa’s lakes and waterfalls, or to visit communities in North Western Province. An integrated schedule across domestic and regional routes makes it more feasible for foreign visitors to layer cultural, historical and community-based experiences onto conventional wildlife itineraries.
Tourism Potential: Beyond Victoria Falls and the Big Names
While the new and enhanced flights to Mansa and Solwezi are driven largely by business and government demand, they also open doors to a richer tourism landscape. Luapula Province offers a tapestry of rivers, lakes and falls, including sites around Mansa that have remained largely under the radar for international travelers. Improved air access creates the foundation for lodge owners, tour operators and community groups to craft itineraries that showcase these natural assets.
In practice, a traveler could fly from Lusaka to Mansa in the morning, drive on to lakeside communities or waterfall sites in the afternoon, and be back in the provincial capital the next day to connect home. It is a level of convenience that encourages short-break visits, research trips and media familiarization tours that would have been difficult to justify when road travel could consume an entire day each way. For domestic tourists based in Lusaka or the Copperbelt, weekend escapes to Luapula suddenly feel more realistic.
Solwezi and its surroundings also possess underappreciated tourism potential. While the town itself is dominated by the mining sector, North Western Province is home to scenic woodlands, rivers and traditional communities. With frequent air links, it becomes easier for specialist operators to develop cultural tourism, birding or photographic tours in partnership with local stakeholders. The challenge will be converting improved connectivity into concrete tourism product, something that requires investment on the ground but starts with the security of reliable air access.
Economic Impact: From Local Jobs to National Growth
Air connectivity rarely exists in isolation. Proflight’s decision to reinforce flights to Mansa and Solwezi is intertwined with broader economic trends in both provinces. For Luapula, better access encourages agribusiness ventures to expand production and reach markets more efficiently, whether they are shipping fresh produce, fish, seeds or manufactured goods. Investors assessing projects in energy, aquaculture or agro-processing can now conduct site visits and due diligence without writing off multiple travel days.
In North Western Province, the logic is even more pronounced. Mining operations require highly specialized skills, equipment and services, much of which must move quickly between regional capitals. Regular flights underpin supply chains and allow mining firms to base some decision-makers in Lusaka or Johannesburg without compromising their ability to be on site when needed. This, in turn, stimulates demand for hotels, conference facilities, catering and transport services in Solwezi and surrounding areas.
Local communities feel the effects through job creation and small-business opportunities. Airports and airline operations require staff in ground handling, security, catering and maintenance. Increased passenger flows drive demand for taxis, guesthouses, restaurants and retail outlets near airports and in town centers. While aviation is often discussed in national or regional terms, its most tangible benefits are often seen in the livelihoods created at the local level.
Shorter Journeys, Safer Travel
In a country the size of Zambia, where distances between major towns can be vast, the time savings delivered by scheduled flights are considerable. Before Proflight reinstated its services to Kalumbila through the northwest corridor, travelers faced a grueling 14-hour road trip from Lusaka to reach the region. Similar stories are common in Luapula, where road journeys to Mansa from the Copperbelt or capital can be long and subject to delays, weather disruptions and varying road conditions.
By contrast, flights from Lusaka to Solwezi typically take around an hour, with onward road transfers to mine sites or surrounding communities. Journeys to Mansa are similarly compressed to a fraction of the time required by road. For corporate travelers, that means more time on site and less time in transit. For government agencies, it allows teams to respond more rapidly to field needs, whether in health, education or infrastructure.
There is also a safety dimension. While Zambia’s road network has improved in recent years, long-distance travel still carries risks, particularly for night driving or during the rainy season. Reliable air services help reduce the volume of high-speed traffic on intercity roads and provide an alternative for those able to travel by air. When combined with rigorous standards around aircraft maintenance, crew training and security checks at airports, this can contribute to broader improvements in national transport safety.
What Travelers Should Expect on Proflight’s Regional Network
For travelers considering these new or expanded connections, Proflight’s fleet mix offers a sense of what to expect onboard. The airline operates a combination of 50-seat CRJ jets and 29-seat Jetstream 41 turboprops on domestic routes, selected according to demand and airport infrastructure. On shorter sectors to Mansa and Solwezi, the experience is practical and efficient rather than luxurious, with a focus on reliability, punctuality and friendly service.
Schedules from Lusaka to Solwezi presently feature multiple daily departures at varying times, including early morning flights suitable for same-day business trips and late-afternoon options that allow for connections from international arrivals. Flights to Mansa are scheduled several times a week, and with added frequencies coming into effect around the same period as Proflight’s jet introduction to Kasama, travelers can expect improved day-of-week coverage and easier planning across longer itineraries.
Because Lusaka serves as the central hub, travelers from outside Zambia will often combine a Proflight domestic sector with an international flight operated by another carrier. This requires careful coordination of arrival and departure times but also creates opportunities to craft seamless journeys linking Mansa and Solwezi to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Windhoek and, via onward partners, to global destinations. For TheTraveler.org readers contemplating multi-stop African itineraries, these developments broaden the scope of what can realistically fit into a short stay.