Air Zimbabwe gets USD 1.4 million to clear its debt with IATA
The new board of directors of Air Zimbabwe, installed on Monday 1 August 2022, has promised to put it back on the world map. The national airline, which emerged from a restructuring plan in July 2021, is currently banned from European skies, and from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Air Zimbabwe will soon pay its debt to the International Air Transport Association. The Herald reported on Tuesday, August 2, 2022, that the Zimbabwean government has granted the company USD 1.4 million to do so.
The payment is part of the carrier's plan to rejoin the IATA Clearing House (ICH). The reinstatement will allow the carrier to benefit from the right to interchange and clear tickets with other IATA member airlines. In addition, Air Zimbabwe will be able to make connections and transfer passengers for completion of journeys with other airlines on routes it does not serve.
"Once we become a member, we will be able to enter these alliances as well as code-share with other airlines, so that our passengers can travel from Harare to Germany, Dubai or elsewhere without any hassle," said Air Zimbabwe's acting managing director, Tafadzwa Zaza on March 14.
After joining IATA, the next objective will be to pass the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), in order to have the necessary credibility to fly around the world. Air Zimbabwe has been banned from the European Union for several years. "We need to put Air Zimbabwe back on the world map," said its new chairman, Dr Silvano Gwarinda, on Monday, August 1, when his team took office.
The 40-year veteran of the airline industry will work alongside Mrs Ruth Raina Hungwe-Rukarwa, Lawrence Simbarashe Musendekwa, Ticharwa Garabga, Mrs Mucharemba Kahombe and Edmund Murambiwa Makona, the company's former CEO.
Air Zimbabwe currently has a fleet of 8 aircraft (2 Boeing 777s, 2 B767s, 3 B737s and 1 Embraer ERJ 145). "A number of these aircraft are not operational," says the new CEO.
