Air Zimbabwe is set to be weaned from judicial management, with the national airline having successfully turned the corner.
Turning around the fortunes of Air Zimbabwe, which faced numerous operational challenges, was the Second Republic’s immediate priorities, hence the appointment of accounting firm, Grant Thornton as administrator to revive its fortunes.
The national airline has finally turned the corner, with the judicial managers expected to leave the company this month after successfully carrying out their mandate of clearing debts and expanding the national careers fleet.
Since our appointment as judicial managers, we have successfully managed to clear local debts with creditors and also came up with terms for clearing debts with foreign creditors. We have since acquired new about four aircraft and the future of Air Zimbabwe looks very bright, said Air Zimbabwe Administrator Mr Tonderal Mukubvu
The national flag carrier is now firmly back on its feet and last week, the newly acquired Embraer Aircraft made its maiden domestic flight, with another aircraft expected to be purchased soon.
The company is expected to acquire another small Embraer aircraft to add to the one which started flying last week and this is obviously going to give the airline an edge in terms of revenue generation, he added.
Air Zimbabwe is finally poised to becoming competitive again and this new lease of life reaffirms government’s commitment to revive the country’s aviation industry and national economy.
Meanwhile the national carrier is set to resume Harare-Johannesburg flights on June 16.
It will initially start by flying the Harare-Johannesburg route every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Air Zimbabwe spokesperson Ms Firstme Vitori confirmed the development.
This comes as Air Zimbabwe resumed domestic routes on June 2, for the first time since January last year when it stopped flights, apart from charter operations, due to Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
Domestic flights have resumed as a triangle, Harare-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls initially, four times a week every Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Ms Vitori said they were deploying the Embraer (ERJ145), whose capacity is best suited for the route as Air Zimbabwe begins to rebuild a feeder into the regional network.
The resumption of regional and domestic flights is expected to bring convenience to the business community and boost the tourism sector too.
Air Zimbabwe remains alive to the threat of Covid-19 infection and will continue to ensure strict adherence to all prevention protocols as guided by the International Air Transport Association, World Health Organisation and the Ministry of Health and Childcare, for the safety of both the passengers and crew members. – ZBC
