Mozambique’s ambassador to Ethiopia, Nuno Tomás, has stated that the state-owned airline Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (LAM) wants to draw on Ethiopian Airlines’ experience to support its restructuring and train pilots.
“Ethiopia has the largest airline in Africa, and we have a dream of revitalizing LAM. As such, there is no better place to learn than from them, who have experience, above all, in training commercial pilots,” said the diplomat, quoted in a Lusa publication.
In turn, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Maria Lucas, said that, in addition to helping to restructure the Mozambican company, Ethiopian Airlines also wants to explore flights to the central and northern regions of the country.
“Ethiopian wants to enter some of our cities. We will talk to see if we can work towards moving forward with the opening process. In clear terms, they intend to fly to Nacala, Nampula, and Beira,” said the minister.
For several years, LAM has faced operational problems related to a reduced fleet and lack of investment, with some non-fatal incidents reported, which experts attribute to poor aircraft maintenance.
LAM stopped operating international flights almost a year ago, focusing on domestic connections. To minimize recurring problems with flight cancellations, the company has been acquiring and leasing new aircraft, the latest of which is a 148-seat Airbus A319, which arrived in Maputo in December last year.
In May, the government hired Knighthood Global to lead the new phase of LAM’s financial and operational restructuring
In February 2025, the government announced the sale of 91% of the state’s shares in the airline through private negotiation. The estimated proceeds from this sale (around US$130 million) are expected to be used to purchase eight new aircraft and restructure the company.
At the time, the appointment of a non-executive board of directors was also approved, composed of representatives of state-owned companies that became shareholders of the airline, namely Portos e Caminhos-de-Ferro de Moçambique (CFM), Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB), and Empresa Moçambicana de Seguros (Emose).
In May, the government hired Knighthood Global to lead the new phase of LAM’s financial and operational restructuring. The company, led by James Hogan, former president of Etihad Airways, was given three months to stabilize and reposition the Mozambican airline.
“The focus in the first three months will be on stabilizing and repositioning LAM,” said the consultant’s note, stressing that it would work in conjunction with the new shareholders, with a mandate to acquire new aircraft and rebuild the fleet.
According to existing data, in 2021 alone, LAM recorded a loss of more than $21.7 million; in 2022, $6.9 million; in 2023, $60.5 million; and in 2024, it recorded $34.1 million.
