Harare Bureau
ZIMBABWE’s aviation sector is set for a boom, with authorities indicating that more global airlines are looking to fly into the country.
This increased interest in Zimbabwe’s air space as Qatar Airways — which was named as the best airline in the world according to a new list from airline ratings.com — is set to commence flights into the country on August 6.
Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ) acting chairman, Dr George Manyaya, told our Harare Bureau that they have been receiving more enquiries from global airlines.
“We have been receiving enquiries from various global airlines, which I cannot mention for now who are expressing interest in operating within our airspace and this augurs well with the engagement and re-engagement with the international community,” he said.
“Aviation is a key enabler and we will not tire nor relent in our determination to attract more airlines and provide quality of experience, safety and security at all our airports.
“This will grow the local aviation industry, create jobs, facilitate international trade and tourism and cumulatively generate economic growth as we try to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The state-owned ACZ was established last year and its mandate is to, among other things, manage all airports and upgrade aviation infrastructure as outlined in its plans to contribute to the realisation of the US$5 billion tourism industry.
With regards to aviation infrastructure, Zimbabwe is looking to improve its air connectivity, particularly to a number of domestic tourist attractions as it seeks to improve the tourism sector’s contribution to gross domestic product (GDP), according to the National Tourism Revival and Growth Strategy (2020-2025).
Aside from the country’s three main airports (the Robert Mugabe International Airport, the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Airport and the Victoria Falls International Airport), Zimbabwe’s significant smaller airports include the Buffalo Range Airport, which is situated near the Great Limpopo Trans-Frontier Park, which is a conservation area that combines Zimbabwe’s Gonarezhou, Mozambique’s Great Limpopo and South Africa’s Kruger national parks to form one of the world’s largest wildlife reserves and the Kariba Airport, which offers a transport link to the Kariba Dam, a major tourist attraction.
Other key airports are Hwange Airport, which is located near the country’s largest national park, the Hwange National Park, and the Masvingo Airport, which offers access to the Great Zimbabwe Monument. And there is also Charles Prince Airport, which accommodates charter operators. Air connectivity is widely considered a key […]