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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
LOW-COST airline Fastjet Zimbabwe is experiencing challenges in fulfilling some of its scheduled flights due to technical challenges.
The airline has since apologised to travellers saying frantic efforts are being made to return to normalcy.
Fastjet spokesperson, Mr Nunurai Ndawana, said while the majority of flights are operating in line with the published schedules, some flights may still experience unintended disruptions as operations and customer services teams work to return flights to usual reliable services.
He said the disruption to the airline’s schedule has been caused by a combination of factors.
“Fastjet Zimbabwe would like to apologise for the inconvenience to its loyal customers and airline supporters for the recent changes to their schedules and delays that have affected travellers in recent days,” he said.
“Earlier, one of the airline’s aircraft was involved in a bird strike whilst on its approach into Harare, RG Mugabe International Airport International Airport, with the damage requiring an outsized replacement part, which needed specialised shipping to Harare.
“The part was fitted in accordance with the manufacturer’s approved maintenance procedures. The aircraft has since returned to regular service operating the airline’s published timetable,” said Mr Ndawana.
He said the untimely and unforeseeable bird strike event coincided with scheduled maintenance of one of the airline’s other aircraft.
These two events meant that both aircraft were out of the airline’s operational fleet simultaneously, necessitating the changes to the flying programme.
The airline has also experienced some disruptions due to adverse weather conditions at some of the airports it flies to over the last week, which impacts subsequent flights throughout the day, said Mr Ndawana.
“Where the situation permits, the airline shall make endeavours to contact all affected customers. Managing unplanned disruptions is likely to affect the network schedule and we make all efforts to minimise the impact on our valued customers whilst ensuring that safety remains our top priority,” he said.
Online Reporter