HARARE, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Zambia's airline Proflight announced Wednesday that it will launch a new service between Zimbabwe's capital Harare and Zambia's capital Lusaka in July, its third international route as it expands its regional footprint.

In a statement to Xinhua, the airline said the Lusaka-Harare route, staring on July 9, will not only boost trade and tourism between the neighboring countries but also throughout the entire southern and central African region.

"Proflight is very happy and proud to launch the Lusaka-Harare route to provide easier access to travelers across southern African states," the airline's director of government and industry affairs Philip Lemba said.

He said the new route will increase economic trade and development for various industries for both Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Lemba said Proflight was not worried that the Harare-Lusaka route was well served by international airlines and would commence with an early morning service four times per week.

The early morning service time will be convenient for the business travelers, he said.

Proflight currently flies from its base in Lusaka through regional routes to Lilongwe in Malawi and Durban in South Africa.

Zimbabwe has in recent years witnessed an interest from various airlines that are keen to fly into the country, especially after the completion of the upgrading of Victoria Falls International Airport by a Chinese firm in 2016.

Last week, the Zimbabwe government opened talks with one of the largest airlines in Asia, Qatar Airways, to open a new route between Harare and Doha, Qatar's capital.

The discussion came up at a meeting between Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Qatari leader Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani during the Zimbabwean leader's official visit to the Asian country.