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LOW cost airline fastjet plans to expand its services to cover other parts of Zimbabwe.
The airline presently flies between Harare and Victoria Falls.
In a statement, fastjet spokesperson Ms Faith Chaitezvi said her organisation has welcomed a statement by Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa that the country was opening its skies to “any airline that wants to fly as many times as possible”.
“Flights between Bulawayo and Harare is at the top of fastjet’s agenda along with plans to fly to other areas of the country as the airline’s fleet grows. The carrier plans to engage authorities as soon as this week to shape plans,” she said.
Ms Chaitezvi said the opening of Zimbabwe’s skies positions the country as a leading nation in the early implementation of the African Union’s Yamoussoukro Declaration, the open skies vision of the continent.
In support of Zimbabwe, fastjet intends to play its part in promoting tourism in Zimbabwe as well as the region through affordable travel.
“fastjet intends to grow its network over time to enable affordable inbound and domestic travel for everyone,” said Ms Chaitezvi.
The airline is presently running a campaign in South Africa to further promote regional tourism and recently implemented an interline agreement with Emirates whereby connecting traffic from Harare should increase onward travel to new and existing fastjet destinations.
“fastjet will work with all role players to build positively on the significant impact that open skies hold for the Zimbabwean economy.
“In other markets where open skies have been implemented, economic benefits have included substantial growth in tourism, economic activity and job creation,” she said. — @okazunga
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