Durban- Zimbabwe will soon have a third locally-owned airline known as Federal Air, which is preparing to take to the skies next month. The Zimbabwe Country Manager, Rob Killick, told Radio VOP this week that his company would soon resume flights on long forgotten routes.
“We are just waiting for a licence to operate from the government and once we get it and hopefully next month, we will take to the skies because we are more than ready,” Killick told Radio VOP.
Federal Air, a tourism and luxury oriented flight company, will operate the Harare to Kariba route and Kariba to Victoria Falls route. It also plans to operate Bulawayo to Johannesburg route as well as the Johannesburg Chiredzi route in future.
Killick, whose company will be the third wholly owned Zimbabwean flight company after Air Zimbabwe and Fly Kumba, said he is motivated by the need to service some of the country’s tourist areas that had never been easy to access such as Kariba, Bumi Hills, Mana Pools and Gonarezhou.
“We want to rekindle the spirit of Zimbabwe and experience the beauty of Lake Kariba, the magnificence of the Greater Zambezi and the World re-nowned Victoria Falls. Getting to these jewels of Africa has never been easier or more accessible,” said Killick.
The company will operate their business using the Cessna Grand Caravan 12 seater aircrafts.
Meanwhile another air company, Civ Air based in Cape Town South Africa is also interested in entering the Zimbabwean market and operate a charter flight service.
“We are interested in trying out the Zimbabwean market but off course with the right operating environment in place,” Tim Straw, Civ Air General Manager told Radio VOP.
Also looking at tapping into the business opportunities that Zimbabwe has to offer is the Johannesburg-based low cost airline, 1Time airline.
“We are in negotiations with the government but can no say much at this stage,” said an official of 1Time airline who asked for anonymity because she is not allowed to speak on behalf of the company.
1Time competes with South African Airways, Mango, Kulula and British Airways in South Africa. It owns a relatively new fleet of Boeing 737s which it intends to use on the Johannesburg-Harare route if granted an operating licence.
Apart from these a Zambia based airline, Zambezi Airways and Royal Air, believed to be owned by former Ministry of Transport official, are also interested in taking to the skies in Zimbabwe.
Stung by the increased competition, Air Zimbabwe also plans to re-introduce flights between Victoria Falls and Johannesburg starting June 3. Radio VOP
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