adminIts fleet is heavily depleted and is flying using old aircraft when some of its peers in Africa have acquired the latest jumbo jets on the market. Choking with debts of more than $140 million, Air Zimbabwe cannot fly outside the Zimbabwean airspace for fear that its planes might be attached by international creditors, as happened sometime last year when one of its planes was prevented from leaving London over a debt owed to a service provider.
Domestic flights have also been trimmed to three times weekly between the major centres of Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls instead of daily flights, adversely affecting the movement of tourists to tourist attractions, business people and other travellers.
With the problems bedevilling the national airline, some might be tempted to start writing the epitaph of the once great airline thinking it is terminally ill and will never rise again.
But we believe there is a way out for the flag carrier if Government takes decisive measures to turn around its operations and seek new investors to pour in the much needed capital.
For years, Air Zimbabwe has relied heavily on funding and subsidies from the Government. Inefficiencies at the airline were covered by support from the treasury.
It appears that as long as Government was prepared to extend a helping hand to the airline, its managers were not worried about operational efficiencies and profitability.
This feeling, it seems, is shared by Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Engineer Walter Mzembi who says national airlines are not designed to make profits but to service areas that are critical to economic growth such as tourism.
We beg to differ with the Minister. We believe Air Zimbabwe is in the position it finds itself today because of its over reliance on State handouts and forgetting about making profits.
The minister should instead be advocating for the transformation of Air Zimbabwe into an airline with a modern fleet that will enable it to withstand competition from foreign airlines vying to fly into Zimbabwe.
With its current fleet, Air Zimbabwe’s woes can only mount as few travellers will be willing to travel in old planes when other airlines offer better alternatives.
Air Zimbabwe’s planes are too old compared to those of its competitors flying into Harare such as Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenyan Airways and South African Airways.
The average age of an aeroplane at Ethiopian Airlines is 8,5 years.
Because of its modern fleet, Ethiopian Airlines is not a drain on the fiscus but one of the few government-owned airlines in Africa making a profit.
The same with Kenyan Airways, which also boasts of a young fleet. Kenyan Airways was until 1995 wholly government-owned when it became the first African national airline to be successfully privatised.
The examples from Ethiopia and Kenya show that national airlines can indeed be weaned from the government and contribute to economic growth while making a profit.
Government should seriously consider following models adopted by other flag carriers on the continent which are not only State-owned but profitable.
If Air Zimbabwe is allowed to continue relying on State subsidies and to drain the fiscus, all the Government will be doing is to delay its inevitable death.
Online Reporter