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BUDGET airline, FlyAfrica has managed to meet all Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) requirements to resume operations in the country.
CAAZ public relations manager Ms Annajulia Hungwe said the airline was re-certified after complying with all regulations required by CAAZ. FlyAfrica’s operations were suspended in October after the company’s majority shareholder, Mr Chakanyuka Karase voluntarily submitted the carrier’s Airline Operator Certificate (AOC) to CAAZ over an alleged boardroom dispute.
“The airline has been recertified and now has its AOC back, which means that they managed to meet all our requirements to get their licence back and are compliant with CAAZ regulations,” said Ms Hungwe.
The CAAZ public relations manager, however, could not be drawn to reveal when the airline would resume flights, referring all questions to FlyAfrica officials.
The Karase family could not comment on the re-certification of the airline saying that they were not part of the process.
FlyAfrica suspended the Zimbabwean partners who hold a 51 percent stake in FlyAfrica Zimbabwe stating that the Karase family had unilaterally and illegally submitted the licence to CAAZ, an action deemed to have cost the group revenue.
Captain Mathias Munyaradzi was temporarily appointed as Karase’s replacement although efforts to get a comment from him were fruitless as he referred all questions to the chief executive officer, Mr Blessing Munyenyiwa who could not be reached by the time of going to print.
Joshua Mqabuko International Airport manager, Mr Passmore Dewa recently told tourism stakeholders in Bulawayo that efforts were underway to bring the low cost airline back, as operators continued to raise concerns over the potential loss of domestic tourists after the grounding of FlyAfrica.
“We are expecting to have FlyAfrica back in our skies by the first quarter of 2016. Technicalities are being sorted. Rainbow airlines is also about to launch and we are expecting to see more low cost airlines coming in,” said Mr Dewa.
Online Reporter