Can the Phoenix rise again?

The airline, a proud carrier of what Zimbabwe stands for, has just like the local economy in the past decade, flattered to deceive. Its touted rise from the ashes has remained largely on paper, with strategy after strategy having been put in place to revive its waning                  fortunes.
Chief executives have come and gone, boards have come and left but what they have all failed to do for various reasons, is to make Air Zimbabwe fly again.

Enter a new board, chaired by well-known banker Mr Ozias Bvute. With less than a month in office after its appointment in February this year, the Bvute-led board, like the previous ones, is highly optimistic that it can get the Air Zimbabwe birds, currently stuck on the ground, to once again party with the clouds.
Big plans are on the cards among them, first and foremost, being the hunt for a substantive chief executive.

The high attrition of CEOs at the parastatals has not done the company any good, but granted acting CEO Innocent Mavhunga has tried all magical means to keep things going, albeit at a snail’s pace, but enough to ensure that the company doors remain open.
“We acknowledge the service that Mr Mavhunga has provided. The board is indebted to him for that. Also, the bulk of his management team is still patriotically coming to work under very difficult circumstances with the intention of ensuring that Air Zimbabwe functions,” said Mr Bvute.

But finding a permanent CEO is not the only headache for the new chairman and his crew as they have a mountain to climb. The “things to do” list is very long. They not only need new aircraft to ensure that the airline re-stamps its presence on all major routes, but they have the Herculean task of convincing the travelling public to once again fly Air Zimbabwe.
“Airline business is one in which trust is the basis of the relationship. We are cognisant that the bond of trust between the passengers and ourselves has been broken.

“We are in the process of transforming ourselves into a new creation and on the basis of being a new creation, our undertaking to our paying public is that we will be regular. There will be schedule integrity, we will offer them a good service, and we will ensure that they reach their destination on time every time,” Mr Bvute optimistically said.
That Air Zimbabwe can make an impact once its birds are in the skies once again is undoubted.

There are reports already pointing to a desire by many Zimbabweans in the Diaspora desperately seeking a return of the airline to take them to and from their destinations without having to divert to other countries as is currently the case with some airlines servicing the country. But what is imperative is that Air Zimbabwe rebuilds the trust of the traveling public.

With the airline currently servicing the Harare, Johannesburg and Harare, Bulawayo to Victoria Falls routes, consistency and reliability are the two keywords that will ensure that it rebuilds confidence before it introduces the daily flights to Johannesburg that it plans by the beginning of next month using its Airbus A320.
These small steps will work in regaining public confidence. Air Zimbabwe is also saddling a massive debt of close to US$200 million, which still needs to be serviced by a financially limping Government.
But with strategies in place, this issue can be resolved at the same time other efforts to get the airline into full time operations are in gear.

“We are at a point where we are very clear that Air Zimbabwe has a future and given where it is now, we can systematically work to ensure that it works and functions properly,” Mr Bvute said.
Even Ernest & Young, contracted to work on a turnaround programme for Air Zimbabwe, believe it can be run viably and profitably.
What is imperative, however, is to ensure that Air Zimbabwe operates sustainably and cuts reliance on funding from the fiscus while the bloated workforce of 933 employees is being rationalised to suit present circumstances. Only on condition of success in resolving the above issues, will Air Zimbabwe successfully begin its quest to woo a partner on its road to privatisation.

“The past has not been very kind and we would like to correct that. We are cognisant that time is not on our side,” said Mr Bvute.
With some Zimbabweans apparently wishing that the airline collapse instead of lauding revival efforts, it would be a daunting task for the new Air Zimbabwe board and management to get the birds back in the air and the company on the recovery path.

It remains to be seen whether Airzim will be the first Phoenix to defy the myth and die, never to rise again.
Only time will tell, but for brand Zimbabwe it is in the best interest of the country that Air Zimbabwe once again terrorises the skies as well as withstanding the competition. — New Ziana.