WATCH: Dreamliner makes historic touchdown at Joshua Mqabuko International Airport in Bulawayo

Sikhulekelani Moyo, Zimpapers Business Hub

THE first-ever Boeing 787-800 has landed at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport, marking a milestone for Zimbabwe’s aviation sector, a development which has been described as an achievement for local airports, as it revealed that the facilities have the capacity to handle large aircraft.

The Ethiopian Airlines charter touched down at 1PM to a traditional water cannon salute, carrying the South Africa Under-19 cricket team (Proteas U19) for the ICC Cricket World Cup co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia.

In an interview, Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ) director of operations Mr Charles Nyoni said this was a major development, adding that it presents an opportunity to bring payloads into Bulawayo, helping to grow the economy.

“We want to exploit this opportunity so that we sustain this kind of operation,” said Mr Nyoni.

“We are looking forward to engaging with Ethiopian Airlines to come up with a plan on how we can ensure that we sustain the kind of level we saw today.”