Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, [email protected]
CENTRAL Air Transport Services (CATS), a local private charter company based at Charles Prince Airport in Harare and Victoria Falls International Airport, has opened the first indigenous pilot training academy in Zimbabwe.
With a fleet of five aircraft that provide luxury, leisure, business and cargo air services, CATS has elevated Victoria Falls International Airport and Charles Prince Airport to international standards.
CATS was one of the local exhibitors at the recent Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo in Bulawayo where company representatives held fruitful engagements with international and regional agents and buyers.
Already 10 students have enrolled for the pilot training programme, which targets young people from 16 years with the ambition of venturing into aviation.
In a recent interview, CATS operations administrator, Ms Florence Kwecha, said the charter company was delighted to revolutionarise the aviation sector.
“As CATS we recently launched a pilots’ training school, which is CATS Aviation Training Academy at Charles Prince Airport. We are delighted to launch this programme because we are one of the first pilot training schools owned by black people in Zimbabwe. We are proud of that as we are now conducting our own pilot training in Zimbabwe,” she said.
“We have a total of 10 students who have enrolled and the institute targets young people from a minimum of 16 years with a pass in English and Mathematics as basic entry requirements.
“They will also need a Class 2 medical, which is conducted by approved aviation medical doctors,” said Ms Kwecha.
She said the training starts with general aviation private pilot training and upon leaving the academy, trainees will be equipped to fly passengers as pilots.
Ms Alice Chingombe, CATS flight operations officer based in Victoria Falls, said the company’s main focus is to do private charters.
“We do corporate and private charter flights, holiday and leisure charters. We also do cargo transportation for various mines in Zimbabwe for security and convenience and we do medical evacuations.
“Our main focus currently is tourism — promoting local tourism and international tourism,” said Ms Chingombe.
With ready aircraft for medical evacuation, CATS provides the much needed security for the tourism industry.
Government is courting investors as it plans to establish five-star medical facilities in Victoria Falls, among other high quality infrastructure.
She said this year has been a busy season with between five and seven flights each day to different destinations.
“We are doing very well and this year has been a very good season as we have been very busy with flights coming in and out every day,” said Ms Chingombe.
“The charter flight industry is high-end but we have made it affordable to everyone because sometimes we provide cheap and affordable packages to locals and agents as we talk about incentive tourism.”
She commended the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority for the quality of buyers and agents brought for the 2024 expo.
“We chatted with buyers and agents and I would like to commend ZTA for bringing able buyers this year.
They are very fond of selling Zimbabwe as a destination.
“It’s always good to have knowledge about destination Zimbabwe and we were able to share with buyers and agents where they can fly to,” said Ms Chingombe.
CATS has exhibited at the Sanganai/Hlanganani Expo five times.
The company has luxury aircraft that can carry five to seven business executives, caravan aircraft taking up to 12 passengers and other four-seater aircraft.
There is also an aircraft that has been used for cloud seeding around Zimbabwe for a decade. -@ncubeleon
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