Fastjet to name its first aircraft in Zim after Cecil the Lion

African discount airliner Fastjet Plc will open a base in Zimbabwe this month, after adding an Airbus A319 to its fleet, and another in Zambia by October, Chief Executive Officer Ed Winter said.

The carrier will name its first aircraft in Zimbabwe after Cecil the Lion, whose killing last month by an American dentist in an illegal hunt shone a spotlight on wildlife conservation in Africa, Winter said.

The Zimbabwe route will link the capital, Harare, with Victoria Falls, a popular tourist destination. In Zambia, Fastjet plans to fly between Lusaka and Ndola in the northern Copperbelt province.

To carry more passengers, Fastjet plans to increase the number of its planes to 34 by 2018 from three now, which it operates from the company's core base in Tanzania.