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Latipha Mapfumo Business Reporter
BUDGET airline, Fastjet Zimbabwe, is set to introduce two more flight destinations in the country namely Hwange National Park in Matebeleland North and Kariba, located in the north of Zimbabwe, in the first quarter of next year.
The airline said in a statement it will introduce flights from Harare and Victoria Falls to Kariba and Hwange National Park to bring seamless connectivity between Harare and Victoria Falls as well as Kariba Airport, in Mashonaland West Province, and Hwange in March next year.
The move will also boost tourism in these prime tourist resorts.
Fastjet Zimbabwe spokesperson Nunurai Ndawana said: “We continue to demonstrate our commitment to the growth of tourism and the sustainability of air services in the markets we serve. The addition of these leisure destinations will greatly support our vision
“These additional routes to the airline’s domestic network will offer seamless connections for travelers from Harare and Victoria Falls to Zimbabwe’s top domestic tourism destinations of Kariba and Hwange, with scheduled flight connections using Embraer E120, 30-seater turboprop aircraft.
“The Embraer E120 is a robust turboprop aircraft designed for domestic operations, offering customers a pressurised cabin with spacious legroom and overhead baggage space. We intend to align our timings to schedule our flights in such a way that we offer customers the flexibility and convenience of multiple frequencies per day,” said Mr Ndawana.
Chief commercial officer Vivian Ruwuya said the airline would continue collaborating with stakeholders in bringing efficient domestic air connectivity.
“Working closely with our industry stakeholders and partners, including the Airports Company of Zimbabwe and the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe, we continue to explore ways to further develop the domestic Zimbabwean flight network.
“We are delighted to announce that our new flights to Hwange and Kariba from our tourism hub of Victoria Falls and our Harare base, will be supported with onward connections on Mack Air / South West Aviation into the Hwange National Park, the lodges of the Kariba eastern basin and the camps and operations in Mana Pools and the lower Zambezi. Mack Air with South West Aviation will be developing a new hub at Kariba, along with their existing hubs in Victoria Falls and Harare to support these seamless connections to and from fastjet’s services.
“The introduction of flights to Kariba and Hwange now allows visitors in Victoria Falls to explore the wonders of Zimbabwe further by visiting both Hwange National Park and enjoy some time on the lake in Kariba with its varied activities of game viewing, boating and fishing,” she said.
The new flights will be available for booking via the Fastjet website, app and usual online trade portals in the coming days.
Fastjet began operations in 2012 and to date, connects the three major cities in Zimbabwe by flying the Harare to Victoria Falls and Harare to Bulawayo routes.
In addition, the airline offers international flights from Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls to Johannesburg in South Africa, and from Victoria Falls to Mbombela (Kruger) Nelspruit Mpumalanga in South Africa and Maun in Botswana.
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