TAAG Opens Lusaka Freighter Route as Zambia’s Copper Boom Puts Air Cargo Back in Focus

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TAAG Angola Airlines has launched a weekly dedicated freighter service between Luanda and Lusaka, giving Zambia new main deck cargo capacity as rising mining investment and stronger African air freight demand increase the country’s importance to regional logistics networks.

The service began on July 24 using a Boeing 737-800 freighter. The inaugural flight carried 12.8 tonnes of high value cargo originating in Amsterdam, including machinery parts, information technology equipment and personal effects.

The route forms part of TAAG’s North South logistics corridor and is intended to connect Zambia with cargo flows originating in Europe, China and Brazil through Luanda. NAC2000 is supporting the operation in Zambia as cargo and ramp handler and general sales agent.

The development gives forwarders another option for moving time critical industrial and mining cargo into a landlocked economy that is seeking to sharply increase copper production and attract investment into domestic processing.

Zambia produced 890,346 tonnes of copper in 2025 and is targeting annual production of 3 million tonnes by 2031. Meeting that target would require substantial investment in mines, processing facilities, power infrastructure and supporting logistics.

More than $10 billion in mining investment has been announced or committed since 2021. Among the projects is the planned expansion of Barrick’s Lumwana operation, while KoBold Metals is developing the Mingomba copper project with anticipated investment of about $2.3 billion to $2.5 billion.

Such projects generate demand for logistics well beyond copper exports. Mines require spare parts, electrical equipment, electronics, machinery and other high value components, some of which are suited to air freight when production schedules make transit time critical.

Zambia’s government is simultaneously seeking greater domestic mineral processing. That could gradually alter logistics patterns by increasing imports of manufacturing and processing equipment while creating higher value exports.

The government has also extended the suspension of a 10% export duty on copper concentrates until September 30 because of maintenance and technical problems at domestic smelters. The exemption covers 271,742 tonnes, including allocations for Mopani Copper Mines, Barrick’s Lumwana operation and First Quantum Minerals.

The TAAG service comes as African air freight is outperforming most other regions.

African airlines recorded a 13.3% year on year increase in cargo tonne kilometres in May, according to industry data, the strongest growth of any region. Africa nevertheless accounted for only 2.1% of global air cargo traffic, leaving significant room for network development.

Lusaka already has substantial international belly capacity. Emirates operates Boeing 777 passenger services through Lusaka and Harare, with the aircraft able to provide up to 23 tonnes of belly hold cargo capacity per flight. Typical flows include vegetables and flowers on the export side and pharmaceuticals and mining equipment inbound.

Claims that Emirates has launched a weekly dedicated Boeing 777 freighter operation to Lusaka in 2026 could not be independently confirmed and should not be treated as established.

The broader Emirates SkyCargo expansion is confirmed. The carrier has been adding Boeing 777 freighters during 2026 and is working toward a substantially larger freighter operation as additional aircraft enter service.

Zambia has also invested in airport cargo infrastructure, including facilities at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka and Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport serving Ndola and the Copperbelt.

For TAAG, Lusaka expands an African freighter network that already connects Luanda with major commercial centres including Johannesburg, Nairobi, Lagos, Accra and Kinshasa. The carrier has positioned Luanda as a transfer point linking international cargo with markets across the continent.

The test will now be whether Zambia’s mining investment and industrial expansion can generate sustained two way loads. For forwarders, the arrival of dedicated freighter capacity provides another route for cargo that cannot wait for conventional surface transport through Southern Africa.