Is Zimbabwe’s national carrier on course for a revival? Once a formidable fleet, the airline was down to one plane earlier this year. But when that plane caught fire on its Johannesburg – Harare route, and had to be grounded, new measures had to be taken. Air Zimbabwe has purchased a new plane, an Embraer ERJ-145, bringing the number of planes owned by the company to two.
The Post Cabinet briefing on Tuesday reported that Zimbabwe has taken note of the delivery of an Embraer plane, which landed at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport on Tuesday.
The acquisition of the plane is part of efforts to revive the national airline, Air Zimbabwe Cabinet said.
The new plane is branded Zimbabwe Airways which is the name of a failed airline that was fronted by Simba Chikore. Aviation expert Jerry Haas said, “The Embraer E145 will be branded to Air Zim livery in the coming days and registered with CAAZ. Air Zimbabwe trained 8 pilots in South Africa for the E145 rating. It’s expected to be in service for mid to end of May.”
