Business / Companies
Private airline to fly from Zimbabwe to China 3 times a week
29 Jun 2013 at 12:29hrs | Views
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) chief executive Karikoga Kaseke, formerly head of Zimbabwe's aviation authority, has disclosed that he and other investors will launch a private airline in August which would also fly to China.
"Besides daily Harare-Victoria Falls route, Royal Zimbabwe Airlines will fly to China's Guangzhou via Singapore three times a week," Kaseke said.
The state-owned Air Zimbabwe used to fly to Beijing and Guangzhou, but a debt crisis that embroiled the airline forced it to abandon all international routes in early 2012.
Although the airline resumed flights to Johannesburg and plans to resume flights to London, there is no immediate plan to resume flights to China.
The ZTA report indicates that the grounding of Air Zimbabwe's international flights had a direct impact on the sharp decline of Asian tourists, especially from China, in 2012.
Royal Zimbabwe Airlines, once it takes off, will become the country's first private airline and breaks Air Zimbabwe's monopoly, a bold step by the industry's regulatory authority.
Kaseke did not disclose details of the investment.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport Munesu Munodawafa confirmed that Royal Zimbabwe Airlines had applied for a permit to fly to China and that his ministry had granted them the approval.
"Yes, they have indicated the routes which they want to fly to. One of the routes is to China," Munodawafa said.
But he said the airline should go back to the ministry and notify it of its readiness to fly, after which the ministry would write to authorities of the intended destination, a process Munodawafa says "won't take too long."
It remains to be seen whether the private airline can thrive.
Tourism Minister, Walter Mzembi, recently told a media briefing that most of the foreign tourists to the continent arrive by air.
"No matter how big is our continent, only three or four African national carriers are viable," Mzembi said, adding that given the importance of air transport to tourism, the viability issue of the African airlines urgently needs to be addressed.
"Besides daily Harare-Victoria Falls route, Royal Zimbabwe Airlines will fly to China's Guangzhou via Singapore three times a week," Kaseke said.
The state-owned Air Zimbabwe used to fly to Beijing and Guangzhou, but a debt crisis that embroiled the airline forced it to abandon all international routes in early 2012.
Although the airline resumed flights to Johannesburg and plans to resume flights to London, there is no immediate plan to resume flights to China.
The ZTA report indicates that the grounding of Air Zimbabwe's international flights had a direct impact on the sharp decline of Asian tourists, especially from China, in 2012.
Royal Zimbabwe Airlines, once it takes off, will become the country's first private airline and breaks Air Zimbabwe's monopoly, a bold step by the industry's regulatory authority.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport Munesu Munodawafa confirmed that Royal Zimbabwe Airlines had applied for a permit to fly to China and that his ministry had granted them the approval.
"Yes, they have indicated the routes which they want to fly to. One of the routes is to China," Munodawafa said.
But he said the airline should go back to the ministry and notify it of its readiness to fly, after which the ministry would write to authorities of the intended destination, a process Munodawafa says "won't take too long."
It remains to be seen whether the private airline can thrive.
Tourism Minister, Walter Mzembi, recently told a media briefing that most of the foreign tourists to the continent arrive by air.
"No matter how big is our continent, only three or four African national carriers are viable," Mzembi said, adding that given the importance of air transport to tourism, the viability issue of the African airlines urgently needs to be addressed.
Source - eturbonews
