Online Reporter
Zvamaida Murwira
NATIONAL airline Air Zimbabwe is set to dispose of two of its Boeing 777-200ER aircraft as part of a broader turnaround strategy aimed at streamlining operations, raising working capital and restoring competitiveness on both regional and domestic routes.
The two aircraft, currently parked at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare, are being sold on an “as is” basis. The planned disposal was announced through the Government Gazette on Friday and is open to international reputable and eligible bidders registered with the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ).
“Air Zimbabwe is inviting international reputable and eligible bidders registered with the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) for the following requirements… Disposal of 2 x B777-200ER aircraft in an ‘as is’ condition at RGM International Airport, Harare, Zimbabwe,” reads the public notice.
Interested bidders are expected to submit their proposals via the Praz electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system before the closing date on July 25.
In an interview yesterday, Air Zimbabwe chief executive officer Mr Edmund Makona said the sale of the aircraft is aligned with the airline’s comprehensive turnaround strategy.
“We have adopted a four-pillar strategy focusing on corporate governance; air transportation services; human capital development and aircraft maintenance and engineering. A successful strategy must prioritise growth and for us, that means expanding our route network,” he said.
Mr Makona said the sale of the two aircraft is meant to achieve their turnaround strategy, which is also anchored on the desire to modernise the airline consistent with the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).
He said the airline has already resumed most of its regional routes and increased flight frequency in response to growing market demand.
As part of the transformation effort, Air Zimbabwe has also reopened its training schools to enhance internal capacity and generate revenue. The technical training school, which had been closed since 2017, is now operational and recently admitted its first cohort of apprentices. It also caters to recurrent training needs for the airline’s engineers and pilots
He said the commercial training school will offer International Air Transport Association (IATA) ticketing courses locally, which previously required travelling to South Africa or Kenya.
“There is also the technical training school which was closed in 2017 and is now up and running. We first took our first group of apprenticeships recently and the same school helps in recurrent training for our engineers and pilots.
All this is part of our turnaround strategy,” said Mr Makona.
Good day, have you made a follow-up on the results of the tender, now that the closing date has passed and any tenders received were opened at 10am on 25th July?