Zimbabwe hires aviation consultancy firm to revive the national airline

The Zimbabwean Government has hired Knighthood Global to help in the revival of the aviation sector as well as the struggling national carrier Air Zimbabwe, which has suffered from mismanagement and crippling debt for the greater part of its existence.

Part of a report from the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency read “Knighthood is expected to finalise the BFS by the end of August 2023, which entails the completion of a diagnostic or business model review, a business plan for the aviation industry, and a strategic plan for the associated entities, namely the Airports Company of Zimbabwe, National Handling Services, and Air Zimbabwe.”

Zimbabwe has 13 local airports which include international and domestic airports. Out of these 13 airports, only three (Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare, Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport in Bulawayo and the Victoria Falls International Airport in Victoria Falls) are available to commercial airlines. The other 10 airports are either out of commission or simply not attractive because they are not well maintained or serviced to generate and support sufficient air travel demand.

Some of the notable airports in the country that have struggled to attract regular scheduled flights include Buffalo Range Airport, Kariba Airport, Hwange Airport, Masvingo Airport and Mutare Airport. Local carrier Fastjet launched daily flights to Kariba and Hwange using an Embraer E120 with capacity for 30 passengers, but it is yet to be seen if this will be sustainable in the long run.