Lakestar Express (Lilongwe International) has applied to the Malawian Ministry of Transport and Public Works for an Air Services Licence (ASL) which would grant it rights to serve both domestic and international routes.

In an interview with The Nation newspaper, ministry spokesman James Chakwera said Lakestar Express intends to use Cessna (single turboprop) Grand Caravan 208Bs, Beech 1900Ds, and possibly E145/E190s.

“It is true that Lakestar Express Limited wants to start operating both in the domestic and international routes," he said.

Malawi's domestic sector is controlled by Malawi Airlines (3W, Lilongwe International) and the privately-owned Ulendo Airlink (Lilongwe International) with the latter offering extensive coverage of the Central Africa nation's interior.

For its part, Malawian Airlines is a 51/49 joint-venture between the Malawian government and Ethiopian Airlines (ET, Addis Ababa International) offering regular shuttles between Lilongwe International and Blantyre domestically with international services covering Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo, Lusaka, Harare International, and soon, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta.

On the carrier's establishment in 2013, government pledged to offer a 31% stake to local Malawian investors. However, in a recent update, the Public Private Partnership Commission (PPPC) said the disposal would only take place once the carrier attained profitability.