Iden Wetherell in Zimbabwe
AIR ZIMBABWE, once a profitable little airline with an on-time record, now has a reputation for delays and debt as poor management and political interference thwart viability.
Part of the problem is President Robert Mugabe’s habit of requisitioning planes whenever he needs to travel abroad – often several times a month. But the airline also has to cope with craft unsuited to Zimbabwe’s conditions.
With Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, Air Zimbabwe inherited a fleet of ancient but reliable workhorses such as the Vickers Viscount for routes which extended no further north than Kariba. Rapid expansion in the early 1980s saw new schedules to London, Frankfurt and Athens serviced by jets purchased from Boeing.
But political meddling was evident early on. A former transport minister, Herbert Ushewokunze, insisted upon personally designing the livery of the new fleet, ignoring the submissions of his advisory panel. Interference led in recent years to the acquisition of aircraft which proved inappropriate for the airline’s needs.
Air Zimbabwe currently leases a British Aerospace 146 bought in 1989 by the air force for Mugabe’s use. When the aircraft proved unsuitable for non-stop journeys to Europe, Mugabe resorted to requisitioning other planes for what the airline calls “VVIP charters”.
This has led to passengers being abandoned at airports, the airline incurring accommodation charges, and costly rescheduling. In August and September, Air Zimbabwe saw its aircraft diverted to Cape Town for Mugabe’s honeymoon, to Lesotho for a meeting of regional heads of state, to Cape Town to collect the first lady, to Kenya for the opening of the Mombasa agricultural show, to Jamaica for a state visit, and to Hamburg for an investment conference. Mugabe will also soon be going to Switzerland and Italy.
The president is not the only culprit. Last month passengers flying from London to Harare suddenly found themselves diverted to Cairo to collect Vice-President Joshua Nkomo and his entourage.
Those on local flights fare even worse. Passengers and their luggage have been dumped at tourist resorts such as Hwange and Victoria Falls as pilots attempt to lighten the load on two leased Fokker 50 aircraft struggling with the country’s heat and altitude.
The Fokker lease – costing the airline $130000 a month – will soon be scrapped after MPs described it as “ill-considered”.
The airline’s managing director, Huttish Muringi, is on extended leave pending investigations into the Fokker deal – negotiated against the advice of specialists – and his acquisition of a R700 000 car and a R850 000 company house. While the airline turned a modest operating profit this year, it owes over R200-million on previous borrowings.