adminlosing about US$8 million in potential earnings per month to foreign airlines.
This figure, which was mentioned during the National Economic Consultative Forum Steering Committee, is alarming by any standards.
Air, rail and road infrastructure in the country currently needs urgent attention if we are to grow our industrial base and because of this it is prudent that as a country we are realistic about what needs to be done to help our economy grow. This is not the time for people to push personal agendas that make us look good in the public domain but will cause the entire nation avoidable headaches in the future.
While the private sector, led by Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries has been very vocal about the negative effects of the crisis, very little has been done to improve the situation at Air Zimbabwe or to introduce other players.
My concern is how we can continue to watch as Air Zimbabwe, which is an iconic Zimbabwean brand that at one time was very visible across the globe, struggle.
While it might be true that companies can face functional problems which may lead to their collapse, what is happening to Air Zimbabwe and indeed the entire sector is really an issue which I feel Zimbabweans can fix because it makes sense to do so.
Some time in May this year, the Secretary for Tourism and Hospitality Industry Dr Sylvester Maunganidze bemoaned the situation at Air Zimbabwe and was quoted as saying: “Without a functioning
airline it will be difficult to achieve the results we want to achieve.
“We have engaged the Ministry of Transport, to open up the skies . . . to go back to the pre-1999 levels, when we used to have plus or minus 46 airlines flying into Zimbabwe.”
What then is the real challenge with opening up the skies considering that the country stands to benefits from the US$8 million we are currently losing to foreign airlines?
Firstly, the process of acquiring an operator’s licence is really not quantum physics. One needs to apply for an Air Services Permit from the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Infrastructure Development and an Air Operators Certificate.
Obviously, there are other issues which include being a bona fide Zimbabwean, a solid business plan and having the necessary finance to start an airline then you can take to the skies.
However, applicants who have met the conditions mentioned above and have obtained the necessary documentation have found themselves unable to operate because the Ministry of Transport has been unwilling to grant them the necessary traffic rights and the argument has been that routes such as the following are adequately serviced:
- l Harare/Bulawayo/Harare
- l Harare/Victoria Falls/Harare
- l Harare/Johannesburg/Harare
- l Harare/Lusaka/Harare
- l Harare/Dar es Salaam/Harare
I am sure anyone who flew to the ZITF this year will testify that it was quite a nightmare to get a flight.
As Buy Zimbabwe we brought in a speaker from South Africa, renowned brand expert and Chief Executive of Brand Africa Thebe Ikalafeng to share the South African and continental experience of branding.
I had to endure the nightmare of trying to get Thebe in and out of Zimbabwe as conveniently as possible as he had engagements in others parts of Africa.
A number of VIP guests at the Trade Fair also missed appointments, cocktails, dinners and presentations because of embarrassing flight delays.
In any case a lot people coming from Harare to Bulawayo now prefer to travel by road due to the absence of a consistent and reliable service.
With reliable local air transport, it is estimated that more than 100 passengers would travel between Harare and Bulawayo daily.
Lack of reliable transport to Bulawayo has the following implications on business and commerce.
It is estimated that four executives travelling to Bulawayo for a board meeting using two cars would incur total cost of about US$2 295 on travel, miscellaneous, hotel and productive time lost compared to airfare costs of US$1 000 assuming air costs of US$250 per executive.
We also have other routes such as the lucrative Harare/Victoria Falls/Harare route which is safe to say is virtually non-existent at the moment.
I find it comical that a group of eight presenters to the Chartered Accountants conference held some time ago had to travel to Victoria Falls via Johannesburg because they could not get a flight from Harare to Victoria Falls.
Clearly from the above we need to have stronger stakeholder engagement to correct such issues.
- Till next week . . . God bless.l For comments, contributions and membership contact Buy Zimbabwe on: Email: [email protected] or [email protected]. Cell: 0772 714 233 Or visit 22 Broadlands Road, Mount Pleasant Harare. Website: www.buyzimbabwe.org.zw
Online Reporter