New Zimbabwean airline recruits

A NEW Zimbabwean airline, which is due to make its maiden flight from Victoria Falls in July, has embarked on a recruitment drive for cabin crew and pilots.

Zimbabwe flyafrica is the first airline of the flyafrica.com group to launch.

The group is a joint venture between nu.com, a Zimbabwe-based infrastructure company, and Flyafrica Ltd, a private equity aviation investment group.

"A new Zimbabwean airline will start operations soon. We are recruiting immediately for qualified pilots (captain and first officer) and purse and cabin crew," the company said in a statement.

"All flight crew must agree to a background check and alcohol and drug testing. All flight crew assessment and training will be conducted by Lufthansa Training (Germany).

"All cabin crew assessment and training will be conducted by  FliteDux (South Africa).

The first flight is penciled for July 16 from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg.

The airline said the air fare between Victoria Falls and Johannesburg would be from R99 (one-way, excluding taxes and fuel surcharges).

The entry of the airline comes as government is targeting 40 airlines flying into the country by 2018.

At the country's aviation peak in the period 1999-2003, 34 airlines were flying into Zimbabwe.

The number dwindled as the economic crisis prevailing then did not make economic sense for airlines to continue flying into the country.

Currently 14 airlines are flying into Zimbabwe.

Since the inception of the multicurrency regime in 2009, Zimbabwe has been on a charm offensive targeting international airlines to fly into the country.