► ZIMBABWE: Air Zimbabwe Operations & General Aviation Update.

Over the last 3 weeks or so, we have been in Zimbabwe for business and had the chance to pay Air Zimbabwe and the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) a visit to try and try get some updates on the status of Air Zimbabwe (UM) as well as other general info. After all, the interwebs has been filled with vast amounts of speculation and conflicting reports on Air Zimbabwe's status and murky dealings all of which make it very difficult to get an accurate picture of what is really going on there.

This is what we were told by our sources:

• Air Zimbabwe is still flying domestically, albeit using its aging Boeing 737-200Adv fleet to service Harare - Victoria Falls and Harare - Bulawayo. According to our sources, loads have picked up (which is no surprise seeing as there is no other competition on the routes). Harare - Vic Falls costs USD$400 return (lol).

An AirZim 737 awaiting its flight to Bulawayo (24 June 2012)

• Air Zimbabwe has indeed received a second A320 as previously reported by us. The two aircraft are now awaiting CAAZ registration before entering service, though where to, is still unknown. Also, the mysterious deal for two Airbus A340-500s that never was, came up quite often. Seems the deal is somehow "still in the offing" (make of that what you will, but we will believe it when we see it) though how much of that is truth and how much is pure BS is anyone's guess.

Two unknown BAe146s laid up at HRE (possibly Air Zim's)

• The Air Zimbabwe member we spoke to made reference to the fact that staff have gone without pay for 11 months; UM staff are still in court over the USD$40million still owed to them, so any new deal to get UM back in the skies will first have to overcome this serious problem.
• Solenta Aviation, one of the only private players plying the safari routes, shut down its Zimbabwean operation as of May 2012. 
• Harare International Airport is undergoing refurbishment; the main runway and taxiways are being done at the present moment using USD$24million in funds availed by the Ministry of Finance. Bulawayo (Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo) Airport is about to be completed, with Victoria Falls Airport currently a "work in progress".
• No word yet on when SolAir or Phoenix Air will (if ever) take to the skies. Strangely enough, a controversial Chinese mining firm, Anjin Investments, at the centre of a scandal involving Zimbabwean diamonds, has also applied for an airline operator's license.

So there you have it folks. Make of it what you all will, but bear in mind that what a pencil pushing bureaucrat says and what actually happens are usually two completely different things.

► ZIMBABWE: Air Zimbabwe given 90 day IATA reprieve as CAAZ hypocrisy stifles newcomers.

Following our report this week on Air Zimbabwe's pending suspension from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for failing to comply with the Association's stringent Operational Safety Audits (IOSA), so IATA has issued a press statement to the effect that Air Zimbabwe has 90 days to comply with the IOSA criteria or risk losing its membership of the Association.

Mike Higgins, IATA regional vice-president for Africa, said IATA remains committed to developing aviation and aviation safety protocols on the African continent and that it is ready to assist Air Zimbabwe wherever possible in renewing its IOSA certification which will allow it to continue to benefit from financial and other services available to IATA members.

From an outside perspective, it seems like a fairly straight-forward affair - spruce up the MA60s and ageing Boeing 767s & 737s and invite IATA in. Yadayadayada, certificate issued, and problem solved.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that, especially not with quasi-bankrupt Zimbabwean parastatals who may, or may not be operating a fleet of rented Airbus A320s in the hopes of eluding creditors.

A common sight at Harare Airport - nothing. (Bill Whaley)

With an airline whose domestic market share in January 2011, despite having a monopoly on local routes and on the coveted Harare - London cash-cow, was 20,5% that then declined to 15,4% in February, hitting 12,2% in March and finally bottoming out at 0,6% in August, is there any point in even trying to breath life into this already dead brand?

According to the Zimbabwean Government, yes there is.

News reports out of Harare this week have the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ)'s David Chaota stating that new comers Sol Air (ZS) and Phoenix Airlines, both of whom have applied for operating licences for the domestic Zimbabwean market , have not received them because "there is need to meet the International Air Transport Association (IATA) conditions". 

What hypocrisy!

And straight, too, from the horse's mouth. 

Air Zimbabwe lacks a current IATA IOSA Audit certificate, yet is allowed to operate; two local indigenous airline's capable of doing the job but are held back because of Government protectionism for an airline that practically does not exist, and that no one seems interesting in flying on, or investing in.

A tragedy indeed.

► ZIMBABWE: Air Zimbabwe suspended from IATA - again.

The International Air Transport Association, IATA, has suspended ailing Zimbabwean airline Air Zimbabwe from its registry following Air Zimbabwe's failure to renew its registration with IATA's Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), a fundamental requirement of IATA membership.

Part of the letter from Quality and IOSA Project Coordinator, Catalin Cotrut, IATA's director for Global to Air Zimbabwe's Edmund Makona, Air Zimbabwe's Lead Auditor, read:

"Please be advised that tomorrow, June 14, 2012, Air Zimbabwe will be removed from the IOSA registry as the operator failed to renew its registration before the expiry date."

Read More Here [VOP]

So what exactly is this IOSA, and what does it entail?

According to IATA's website

Air Zimbabwe in better days (Savvas Garozis)

"IOSA provides a standardised audit programme for cost-effectiveness and safety based on internationally-recognised standards and a structured system for the sharing of audits. IOSA audits are conducted by a select group of experienced Audit Organisations that have each undergone a rigorous and consistent IATA accreditation process. IATA Member Airlines are committed to being audited to IOSA standards."

Read More Here [IATA]

News report state that Air Zimbabwe failed to comply with the IOSA because of "operational problems currently affecting the airline, the most serious of which, is the grounding and suspension of its fleet and staff since January of this year."

The consequences of the suspension however, are unclear, seeing as Air Zimbabwe's operational mandate is at present, also unclear. Rumours and unconfirmed press reports claim the airline is still flying domestic Zimbabwean routes, albeit using leased aircraft, though these reports are still to be corroborated. If that is the case, then an IATA suspension may not necessarily hurt the airline internationally, though the damage to its already shoddy image, will have been done.

This is not the first time Air Zimbabwe has been suspended from IATA. Last year, the airline was suspended  from using IATA's flight booking and finance services over its unsettled debts with the association amounting to USD$280'000. The issue was later resolved.

► ZIMBABWE: Air Zimbabwe to get second A320?

Unconfirmed reports from Zimbabwe claim that troubled Zimbabwean flag carrier, Air Zimbabwe (UM), will "soon" lease a second Airbus A320 from China Sonangol International, in an attempt to revive the ailing airline's flagging fortunes. 

Air Zimbabwe received its first Airbus A320 (F-WTBL) on 16 January 2012, leased from SouthJet Two Limited, though it is uncertain as to what role the aircraft has actually played in servicing the airline's routes.

Airbus A320 "F-WTBL" in Harare.

"Radio VOP was briefed this week that some representatives of the airline from the quality assurance department and some engineers on Saturday flew to France to carry out an aircraft acceptance inspection and finalise the paperwork processes before the delivery of the aircraft expected before next Tuesday."

Read More Here [Radio VOP Zimbabwe]

Presently Air Zimbabwe is confined to flying domestic routes exclusively as the threat of repossession by unpaid creditors in the UK and South Africa is still very real. In April 2012, Robert Mugabe - the Zimbabwean President - was forced to return home from Malaysia aboard the leased Airbus, as opposed to Air Zimbabwe's Boeing 767s, as the latter was neither financially nor technically feasible.

It is therefore likely, that as part of its rejuvenation programme, Air Zimbabwe has chosen to use leased aircraft as opposed to buying them, as this theoretically will still allow Air Zimbabwe to operate foreign routes, albeit without the threat of repossession looming over their heads.

Airbus A320 "F-WTBL" in Harare.

It should be noted however, that in the past, Air Zimbabwe has laid some wild claims to aircraft acquisition, most notably:

• Air Zimbabwe to buy 3 x Ilyushin 96-300s (2008)
• Air Zimbabwe to buy 2 x A340-500

Both of which have turned out to be unfounded Big Talk.  

In a spin off effect, Zimbabwe's Civil Aviation Authority (CAAZ) has lamented the lost Passenger Tax revenues it has suffered as a consequence of Air Zimbabwe's demise.

Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe Board Chairperson, Advocate Jacob Mudenda said although the exact figures on the actual amount lost have not been put together the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Infrastructural Development is looking into the issue and restructured Air Zimbabwe in an effort to bring efficiency that would see in improvement in revenue inflows for organisations that have been affected.

Read More Here [ZBC News]

► ZIMBABWE: Sol Air reveals planned routes as Government discord continues.

Following on from our initial report, Zimbabwean private start up Sol Air (ZS) has now revealed its plans for upcoming routes it intends to serve using a fleet of Bombardier CRJ-900s.

Amongst the cities to be served from its base at Harare International Airport are: Bulawayo, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, Tete (Mozambique), Lusaka and Victoria Falls. It also plans to serve Johannesburg - Victoria Falls and Johannesburg - Bulawayo, two routes that are at present serviced exclusively by South African carriers.

A familiar sight at Harare - empty slots. (William Whaley)

No further news on how a resurrected Air Zimbabwe has been performing on domestic routes has been made available. 

Meanwhile, at a recent conference of the African Travel Association (ATA) held in Victoria Falls, Shingi Munyeza, chief executive officer of hotel and leisure group, African Sun Limited (ASL) told international delegates that there was nothing wrong with African governments regulating domestic air services in order to protect troubled national airlines.

"You need to let in (foreign) airlines but ensure you don't destroy the local airline," Munyeza told the ATA congress. "

African governments have been burnt before where they have opened the skies," said Munyeza.

Once again, this adds to the notion of total discord between official Zimbabwean Government policy and private industry with regards to the serious development of local aviation, as just recently, Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Walter Mzembi stated:

"We are over-protecting Air Zimbabwe. We all know that government is a signatory to a declaration that promotes an open sky policy. What I wonder is why we have not been able to motivate any new airlines into our airspace?"

Read More Here [The Financial Gazette, Zimbabwe]

Politicking aside, the answer, however, is simple.

As long as Zimbabwe's government is willing to live with the prospect of subsidizing an inefficient millstone of the Air Zimbabwe sort whilst strangling any potential private carriers under the guise of the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ), then it will only have itself to blame when it finds its tourism and aviation infrastructure both undeveloped and underexploited, because after all, tourism thrives on reputation, and what good to a country is an airline reputed only for late arrivals and shoddy service?

► ZIMBABWE: Air Zimbabwe resumes flights with 3 passengers as High Court blocks share sell off.

It seems years of mismanagement, poor planning and lack of customer service have once again come back to haunt Zimbabwe's national carrier Air Zimbabwe (UM), as reports state that the airline carried just 3 passengers between Harare and Bulawayo on its first day back in the air, after an hiatus of nearly 3 months.

"State Enterprises Minister Gorden Moyo confirmed the flight, but said he was surprised the airline had resumed operations when the government is still looking for an investor to partner the company, saddled with a $140 million debt.

The airline’s Boeing 737-600(sic), with a capacity of 126 passengers, left Bulawayo with only three people on board. Air Zimbabwe is planning to have three flights a week between Harare, Victoria Falls and Bulawayo.

Moyo cautioned the move may backfire as the national airline does not yet have the capacity to embark on such operations due to lack of funds and a crippling debt. "

Read More Here[VOA News]

This is not the first time the airline has caused controversy by flying near empty aircraft. In 2005 Air Zimbabwe jet flew 6,000 km (3,728 miles) from Dubai with a solitary passenger aboard.

To add insult to injury, the High Court in Harare also blocked the attempted sale of Air Zimbabwe's shares in National Handling Services, pending determination of an Air Zimbabwe's workers’ application for the airline to be placed under judicial management, and thus, allow them to recover some USD$40 million still owed in back wages.

At present, Air Zimbabwe owes creditors over USD$100 million, resulting in the airline ceasing foreign operations following attempted seizures of Air Zimbabwe aircraft in both Johannesburg and London Gatwick.

"While an application to place Air Zimbabwe under judicial management over debts to the tune of $140 million was pending, the workers picked up information that there was Government communication directing the company’s group chief executive to transfer the shares to a Government nominee firm. 

That did not go down well with the workers who felt the move was meant to strip Air Zimbabwe of its assets and frustrate the pending court application. Air Zimbabwe owes the workers $35 million and other creditors over $100 million.

Transport, Communication and Infrastructure Development Permanent Secretary Mr Patson Mbiriri wrote the letter on March 26 this year advising the firm to transfer the shares. Part of the letter read: “Pursuant to the Cabinet decision of Air Zimbabwe Holding Private Limited dated 28 February 2012, Air Zimbabwe Holdings should immediately transfer its shareholding in National Handling Services to a nominee company wholly owned by the Government, which nominee company will hold Government shares in NHS."

 Read More Here [The Herald]

► ZIMBABWE: Air Zimbabwe to return to the skies, but only domestically.

It never rains but it pours for ailing Zimbabwean national carrier, Air Zimbabwe (UM). One week, there are reports of its imminent demise and cessation of operations, the next, it pulls a Lazarus and is magically resurrected.

Once again the soap opera that is UM takes another twist with an announcement in the state media to the effect that Air Zimbabwe will restart flights, albeit only be 3x weekly domestically between Harare and Bulawayo, with no mention of equipment in use.

"Zimbabwe Tourism Authority chief executive officer Karikoga Kaseke told the media that the flights would be on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

“From the 2nd of next month (May) Air Zim will be resuming flights between Harare and Bulawayo,” he said.
 

“If it happens with consistence(sic) it is better than nothing although it is not enough. We need two flights daily.” Kaseke said the tourism sector was the worst affected by the demise of Air Zim."

Read More Here [New Ziana]

This news comes in the wake of an announcement today by local start-up "Sol Air" that it is planning to commence operations in the near future using a leased Bombadier CRJ 900 aircraft.

► ZIMBABWE: Air Zimbabwe provides ZITF flights.

Despite news reports that Air Zimbabwe had effectively been grounded, the airline today issued a statement that it would be providing flights between Harare and Bulawayo for the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.

Given UM's poor track record with respect to late cancellations, delayed departures and general sloppy customer care, i would honestly be surprised if anyone actually took up this offer.

"Air Zimbabwe says it will provide flights between Harare and Bulawayo to facilitate travel during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) this week.

The national airliner said on Wednesday a plane will depart Harare at 0700 and arrive in Bulawayo at 0745.

In the evening it will depart Bulawayo at 1800 and arrive in Harare at 1845."

...

Read More Here [ZBC News].