News / National
Air Zimbabwe to resume flights by June
22 Apr 2012 at 10:21hrs | Views
HARARE - Zimbabwe's national carrier, Air Zimbabwe is scheduled to resume flights by June, Tourism minister Walter Mzembi said yesterday.
He told businessdaily in an exclusive interview that the airline was failing to secure capital to renew its obsolete fleet.
He said the situation had been compounded by high staff turnover attributed to poor remuneration - while its resuscitation will be aimed at improving efficiencies ahead of the 2013 United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly which the country is co-hosts with Zambia.
Mzembi confirmed that government made South African Airways its official airline partner for the UNWTO as a result of AirZim woes.
"By the time we get to the hosting of the general assembly and well before that I can promise the nation that Air Zimbabwe will be back on its feet, it will be back in the skies again so we are planning very positively in anticipation of the airline re-bouncing," the minister said.
He said revival of operations at the beleaguered state airline was critical at a time air travel dominated tourism.
Of the 960 million annual arrivals globally, said Mzembi, 51 percent of them do so by air and Zimbabwe is no exception.
He said Transport minister Goche would soon give a detailed and official position on AirZim's new direction, according to Mzembi.
He told businessdaily in an exclusive interview that the airline was failing to secure capital to renew its obsolete fleet.
He said the situation had been compounded by high staff turnover attributed to poor remuneration - while its resuscitation will be aimed at improving efficiencies ahead of the 2013 United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly which the country is co-hosts with Zambia.
Mzembi confirmed that government made South African Airways its official airline partner for the UNWTO as a result of AirZim woes.
"By the time we get to the hosting of the general assembly and well before that I can promise the nation that Air Zimbabwe will be back on its feet, it will be back in the skies again so we are planning very positively in anticipation of the airline re-bouncing," the minister said.
He said revival of operations at the beleaguered state airline was critical at a time air travel dominated tourism.
Of the 960 million annual arrivals globally, said Mzembi, 51 percent of them do so by air and Zimbabwe is no exception.
He said Transport minister Goche would soon give a detailed and official position on AirZim's new direction, according to Mzembi.
Source - bussinessdigest
