HARARE
—
Air
Zimbabwe
will
miss
the
June
deadline
for
resuming
non-stop
flights
to
London
set
by
Mutapa
Investment
Fund
chief
executive
John
Mangudya,
with
the
national
carrier
now
targeting
a
July
1
launch
date
for
the
long-awaited
Harare–London
Gatwick
service.
Mangudya
stated
in
January
that
the
airline
would
be
flying
to
London
by
mid-year,
saying
he
had
been
assured
by
the
airline’s
chairman
and
chief
executive
that
the
route
would
resume
“by
June
this
year,
or
before
June.”
The
deadline
has
now
quietly
slipped
by.
The
flights
will
be
operated
under
an
ACMI
arrangement
—
Aircraft,
Crew,
Maintenance,
and
Insurance
—
with
Spanish
long-haul
carrier
Plus
Ultra
Líneas
Aéreas
providing
the
aircraft
and
crew
while
the
service
operates
under
the
Air
Zimbabwe
brand.
The
model
allows
the
cash-strapped
national
carrier
to
re-enter
the
route
without
relying
on
its
own
fleet,
which
lacks
serviceable
wide-body
aircraft
for
long-haul
operations.
Air
Zimbabwe
last
flew
to
London
in
December
2011,
when
the
airline’s
ageing
Boeing
767-200
fleet
was
threatened
with
repossession
by
creditors
and
was
struggling
to
meet
European
regulatory
and
insurance
requirements.
In
the
years
since,
successive
transport
ministers
and
Air
Zimbabwe
executives
have
announced
imminent
London
relaunches,
none
of
which
materialised.
Mangudya,
who
has
been
more
bullish
than
most
about
restoring
the
route,
framed
the
London
service
as
one
of
the
most
commercially
attractive
in
Africa
given
the
size
of
the
Zimbabwean
diaspora
in
Britain.
He
also
cited
the
potential
to
revive
fresh
produce
exports,
noting
that
in
the
past,
Zimbabwean
horticulture
could
reach
British
supermarket
shelves
overnight.
Plus
Ultra
is
expected
to
deploy
either
an
Airbus
A340-300
or
an
Airbus
A330-200
on
the
route.
Both
aircraft
types
have
the
range
to
operate
nonstop
between
Harare
and
Gatwick
and
meet
UK
and
European
airworthiness
standards.
The
specific
aircraft
will
depend
on
fleet
availability
at
the
time
of
operation.
London
Gatwick
has
been
selected
over
Heathrow,
reflecting
the
greater
slot
availability
that
makes
it
a
more
practical
choice
for
carriers
operating
under
wet-lease
arrangements.
The
airport
offers
strong
access
to
the
broader
London
metropolitan
area
and
is
already
used
by
several
African
carriers.
Air
Zimbabwe
currently
operates
one
Embraer
ERJ-145
jet
and
a
leased
ATR
42-500
on
domestic
and
regional
routes.
The
airline
is
also
in
the
process
of
disposing
of
two
Boeing
777
aircraft
acquired
from
Malaysia
Airlines
but
never
placed
into
service,
with
proceeds
earmarked
for
a
deposit
on
smaller
domestic
aircraft.
The
Mutapa
Investment
Fund,
which
has
absorbed
the
debts
of
Zimbabwe’s
state-owned
enterprises
including
Air
Zimbabwe,
is
overseeing
the
fleet
restructuring
plan.