Air Zimbabwe is set to restore direct flights between Harare and London before the end of July, marking the airline’s return to the route for the first time in almost 15 years.
The announcement was made by Information Minister Zhemu Soda during a post-Cabinet briefing on Tuesday, where he confirmed that the national airline would relaunch the service using a leased Airbus A330-300 provided by Spanish airline Plus Ultra.
According to Soda, the aircraft has a capacity of 302 passengers, including 30 business class seats and 272 economy seats.
“The nation is advised that the airline will resume operations by end of July 2026,” he said.
The service will initially operate three times a week, with flights scheduled on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Air Zimbabwe last flew the Harare-London route in December 2011 using its Boeing 767-200 fleet before mounting financial difficulties, creditor claims and operational challenges forced the airline to suspend the service.
At the height of its operations, the airline offered up to six flights a week between Harare and London and also operated charter flights connecting the UK with Victoria Falls.
Although Air Zimbabwe remains on the European Union’s Air Safety List and is prohibited from operating commercial flights to, from or within the United Kingdom, the airline is able to relaunch the route through an Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance (ACMI) wet-lease arrangement.
Under this model, the aircraft, flight crew, maintenance and insurance are supplied by Plus Ultra, an approved operator, while the flights operate under Air Zimbabwe’s flight code. The arrangement was facilitated by aviation specialist Chapman Freeborn Aviation Services.
The relaunch is part of a broader turnaround strategy being driven by the Mutapa Investment Fund (MIF), which owns Air Zimbabwe and has repeatedly identified the London route as a cornerstone of the airline’s long-term recovery.
Despite the absence of direct flights, demand for travel between Harare and London has remained strong.
Industry figures indicate that around 108,000 passengers travelled between the two cities in 2025, with travellers connecting through hubs such as Addis Ababa, Dubai, Doha, Johannesburg and Nairobi.
The return of the direct service is also expected to benefit Zimbabwe’s horticultural export sector, which previously relied on non-stop flights to deliver fresh produce to British markets within 24 hours of harvest.
The latest announcement follows several missed deadlines to revive the route, including earlier plans to resume operations in June 2026 and a widely anticipated July 1 launch that did not materialise.
If the new timetable is met, Air Zimbabwe will once again offer direct flights between Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom for the first time since 2011.
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