[5] The airline was formed in July 2013 (2013-07),[6] following the collapse of Air Malawi, the hitherto national carrier, in February 2013, as a result of the inability to pay its debts.

[7][8] A deal with Ethiopian Airlines, that would see this carrier having a 49% shareholding in Air Malawi, was finalised in July 2013 (2013-07); the agreement also contemplated the renaming of Air Malawi to Malawian Airlines Ltd.[9][10] Operations commenced on 31 January 2014 (2014-01-31) serving the Blantyre–Lilongwe domestic route using 67-seater Bombardier Q400 aircraft.

[16] The government planned to offload 31% of its stake to private investors after a minimum period of 12 months after operations commence and it expected to earn US$6 million from this sale.

Few financial and other trends have been made available by either of the main shareholders (years ending 31 December): As of April 2021, the company has incurred cumulative losses of MWK 14.09 billion (USD 17.86 million) and has accumulated debts of MWK 13.83 billion (USD 17.54 million).

[24] Malawi Airlines serves the following destinations, as of February 2023[update]:[25][26][27] The airline plans to add daily flights and expand new regional network routes to Pemba and Nampula in Mozambique, Kigali in Rwanda, as well as Entebbe and Kampala in Uganda.