Zambia Airways (ZN, Lusaka) has re-registered its first B737-800 from 9J-HHZ (msn 40961) to 9J-ZAD, the airline has confirmed.

Airline management confirmed the move to ch-aviation, saying it was done for "administrative reasons".

They could not confirm reports by The Zambian Observer and Zambian Post, showing images of the re-registered aircraft, that the previous registration of 9J-HHZ caused political controversy as having represented the initials of the country's current president, Hakainde Hichilema. The Zambian Civil Aviation Authority was not immediately available for comment.

The jet has been seconded from Ethiopian Airlines (ET, Addis Ababa International), the minority stakeholder in the Zambian government's joint-venture national carrier, the majority stake being held by the state-owned Industrial Development Corporation. The plane is currently plying the route between the Zambian capital, Lusaka, and Johannesburg O.R. Tambo, South Africa, according to ADS-B data.