Air Zimbabwe to resume London flights by June 2026

Air Zimbabwe is set to resume flights to London by June 2026, ending a 14-year hiatus, Mutapa Investment Fund chief executive Mr John Mangudya has said.

The national carrier is currently implementing a fleet restructuring programme that includes the disposal of two Boeing 777 aircraft acquired from Malaysia Airlines but never placed into service. According to Mangudya, government has authorised the sale of the wide-body jets, with proceeds earmarked to fund a deposit for new, smaller aircraft to strengthen domestic operations.

"The government has given us authority to sell the Boeing 777s, and the proceeds will be used to pay a deposit for new, smaller aircraft for domestic flights," Mangudya said on Friday while delivering a public lecture at the Harare Institute of Technology.

He added that Air Zimbabwe is also working on securing a leased wide-body aircraft to service long-haul routes, with particular focus on the United Kingdom, which hosts a significant Zimbabwean diaspora.

"We are also putting in place a facility to lease a bigger plane, one of these Boeings, to fly the Harare–London route, and good progress has been made," he said.

Mangudya said he had been advised that flights to London could resume by mid-year, marking what would be the airline's return to one of its most lucrative routes. Several previous commitments by successive transport ministers and Air Zimbabwe executives to restore the London service since the last flight in December 2011 failed to materialise, but Mangudya expressed confidence that this time the plans would be realised.

"I was advised by the chairman and chief executive of Zimbabwe that by June this year, or before June, we will be flying to London. That route is one of the most lucrative in Africa because it is a direct service from here to the UK," he said.

He added that the resumption of direct flights would also revive exports, particularly horticultural produce.

"In the past, we used to export our horticulture and by morning it would be in the shops in the UK," Mangudya said.

The Mutapa Investment Fund recently assumed control of all state-owned enterprises, absorbing substantial legacy debt, including liabilities linked to Air Zimbabwe, which has experienced a prolonged decline over the past three decades.

Currently, Air Zimbabwe operates two Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft on domestic and regional routes. Some of its ageing Boeing 737 and Boeing 767 aircraft are occasionally leased out, but most remain in storage as the airline works to stabilise operations and rebuild capacity.