AFTER a long wait to have its foreign
operator permit renewed, low-cost
carrier flyafrica Zimbabwe plans to
relaunch flights to South Africa within
the next three weeks.
The airline says it will first start
daily flights between Harare and
Johannesburg, and will up it to a
double-daily service two weeks
thereafter, with plans for a thrice-daily
service by March 1. It also plans
to launch a four-times-a-week
service between Bulawayo and
Johannesburg, and a twice-weekly
service between Harare and Cape Town
later in the year.
Cassidy Mugwagwa, executive
chairperson of flyafrica Zimbabwe, told
TNW that launch dates could not be
confirmed at this stage as the airline
was still liaising with the various
regulators across its region. He could,
however, confirm that fares would start
from $100 (R1 200) for a one-way
ticket on the HRE-JNB and BUQ-JNB
routes, and $170 (R2 050) for a
one-way ticket on the HRE-CPT route,
including airport taxes and up to 23kg
of checked baggage.
The airline initially launched flights
to South Africa in July 2014, but the
flights to SA ceased the next year.
When the airline sought to start
operating to South Africa again last
year, the Civil Aviation Authority of
Zimbabwe had revoked its South
African pilots’ validation to fly.
Last year, flyafrica Zimbabwe invested
$6,6m (R85m) into its operations
in anticipation of its relaunch. It
also acquired two B737-700s
and established offices at Harare
International Airport. After numerous
delays, the airline finally resumed
operations in November when it
reinstated its Harare-Bulawayo-Victoria
Falls route.
Despite flyafrica Zimbabwe’s
optimism, agents say they would be
very hesitant to book its
flights.
Marco Tomasicchio, director of
XL International Travels, says
he will wait to see if the carrier
can fly with uninterrupted
operations for a reasonable
period of time before he
considers booking them.
“I would also be reluctant to
book them until such time as
I can see how they are being
financed and if they are paying
their creditors.”
