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Zimbabwe's national airline goes for broke
Ray Ndlovu, Mail and Guardian (SA)
June 14, 2013

http://mg.co.za/article/2013-06-14-00-national-airline-goes-for-broke

Air Zimbabwe is trying to win back passengers with low fares as it attempts to resuscitate itself.

Struggling national airline Air Zimbabwe has embarked on an aggressive push to turn around its fortunes.

It's slashing ticket prices, hunting for a new chief executive, reducing its workforce, overhauling its fleet and re-introducing domestic and regional flights.

Fed up passengers began deserting the airline at the height of the economic collapse in 2008 in favour of foreign airlines, including South African Airways, Kenya Airways and British Airways, as persistent strikes by Air Zimbabwe staff, flight delays and a $100-million debt weighed the operation down.

Two incidents of the airline's flagship Boeing 767 aircraft being impounded in 2011 at the United Kingdom's Heathrow International Airport and at South Africa's OR Tambo International Airport over non-payment of debt, underpinned the national carrier's financial woes and left many passengers stranded.

Now the airline is trying to win back passengers and is tempting them with bargain fares.

This week it slashed prices on its Harare to Johannesburg route to $275 for a return trip, compared with South African Airways's price of $600 and $750 for British Airways on the same route.

United Nations World Tourism Organisation Summit

The upcoming United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) summit that Zimbabwe will co-host with Zambia in August also appears to be at the centre of Air Zimbabwe's revival.

The UNWTO will be hosted in Africa for the second time and is expected to attract nearly 3 000 delegates to Victoria Falls. The carrier is positioning itself to benefit from the windfall the summit will bring.

Figures released by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) this week show that tourist arrivals in Zimbabwe had increased by 17% in the first quarter of this year to 404 282 from the 346 299 recorded in the same period last year.

According to the ZTA report, South Africa accounts for the largest number of the continent's visitors to Zimbabwe. A total of 37 294 South Africans visited the country during the first quarter of 2013 - a 6% increase on the previous comparative period.

Johannes Kwangwari, an economic analyst, said there was growth across the tourism sector, with international visitors reviving their interest in visiting the country.

"There could be major benefits from the UNWTO meeting in August, but possible election violence could keep visitors away until later this year," he said.

Resisting pressure

Aviation sources with intimate knowledge of the national airline's turnaround plans said the government had resisted pressure to privatise the airline and Cabinet had directed Transport, Communication and Infrastructural Development Minister Nicholas Goche to deal "once and for all with the embarrassment taking place at Air Zimbabwe".

Treasury ploughed $8.5-million into helping kick-start the national airline's turnaround strategy.

The airline has been operating without a chief executive since the departure of Peter Chikumba in December 2010.

Last month, Air Zimbabwe introduced the Airbus A320 to replace its old Boeing 767 aircraft.

The return of Air Zimbabwe to the skies in November was marked by the re-launch of the Harare to Johannesburg route four times a week and domestic flights between Harare and Bulawayo three times a week.

Since then, the airline has started offering daily flights to South Africa and between Harare and Bulawayo, which airline officials said is an indication of the confidence of the market.

"We are now in a position to provide a reliable service. I can assure you that this will be done in a professional manner," said Ozias Bvute, chair of Air Zimbabwe's board.

Only time will tell if Air Zimbabwe can gain more altitude and keep itself in the skies.

Going on honeymoon with Air Zimbabwe

It has been seven months since my first time on an Air Zimbabwe flight. Since then, I have used the airline twice but have flown on five other occasions. Critics would say that I am unpatriotic. I just tend to think more about my own safety.

Media reports as well as stories told by friends and relatives about the airline's flights being cancelled at the 11th hour, wild pigs bolting out on the runway and the unbearable noise of the old planes race through my mind each time I think of booking a flight with them.

News of a flock of birds grounding the airline's latest acquisition, an Airbus A320, last month in South Africa did not do much to inspire my confidence. But then again, it was just an accident.

Being recently wed I was determined to take my new wife to South Africa on honeymoon.

I recall the deep concern I had days earlier as I paid for our return tickets, which cost $617, as an unsmiling Air Zimbabwe official said that the plane would take off on Sunday morning to Johannesburg. So much for customer service.

I tried to explain the reason for my anxiety to him. "Sir, the plane will take off," he told me again, and I kept quiet.

"What if" mode

Even when we arrived at Harare International Airport at 5am, my mind was still in "what if" mode. Only the arrival of other passengers and airline officials for check-in calmed my nerves.

Checking in was a painfully slow process, as officials manually checked passenger tickets. Needless to say, the 7am flight only took off at 7.30am.

Once on board, fellow frustrated passengers said they expected the delays from Air Zimbabwe, while others said it was unacceptable for an airline that was trying to win back lost customers to depart late.

Once seated, I couldn't care any less about the in-flight entertainment or meals, and just hoped I'd get to my destination safety. I was grateful we landed without incident.

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