Business / Companies
Air Zimbabwe to resume London route
14 Jun 2013 at 06:19hrs | Views
AIR Zimbabwe has announced it will re-launch its direct Harare-London service in November this year as management steps up the company's turnaround programme.
The airline suspended services to the UK in December 2011 after one of its aircraft was seized over unpaid service charges at Gatwick but a new board appointed early this year is working to ensure the company regains lost market share.
Flights resumed last July with domestic services after the airline had been virtually grounded for about a year at a time global carriers were also announcing a return to the country.
Air Zimbabwe recently announced that it plans to take on an A380-800 as part of its long-haul fleet, in time for the resumption of Harare to London Gatwick flights.
According to a reports, Air Zimbabwe spokesman, Shingai Taruvinga, said a deal for a new A380 was underway, but could not disclose the identity of the owner, rumoured to be France-based.
However, industry specialists have poured scorn on the move given that Harare International Airport has not the infrastructure to handle such an enormous aircraft.
The Zimbabwean carrier was linked to two other high-profile deals in the past.
The first, a planned deal with Ilyushin Design Bureau (Moscow Zhukovsky) for three Il-96s in 2008 and the second, for two A340-500s in 2011, neither of which ever came to fruition.
The airline suspended services to the UK in December 2011 after one of its aircraft was seized over unpaid service charges at Gatwick but a new board appointed early this year is working to ensure the company regains lost market share.
Flights resumed last July with domestic services after the airline had been virtually grounded for about a year at a time global carriers were also announcing a return to the country.
Air Zimbabwe recently announced that it plans to take on an A380-800 as part of its long-haul fleet, in time for the resumption of Harare to London Gatwick flights.
According to a reports, Air Zimbabwe spokesman, Shingai Taruvinga, said a deal for a new A380 was underway, but could not disclose the identity of the owner, rumoured to be France-based.
However, industry specialists have poured scorn on the move given that Harare International Airport has not the infrastructure to handle such an enormous aircraft.
The Zimbabwean carrier was linked to two other high-profile deals in the past.
The first, a planned deal with Ilyushin Design Bureau (Moscow Zhukovsky) for three Il-96s in 2008 and the second, for two A340-500s in 2011, neither of which ever came to fruition.
Source - Byo24News
