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Sunday 26 February 2012

BA/Comair Increasing Harare Service



British Airways franchise carrier Comair starting April 4th 2012 will be increasing service on the Harare-Johannesburg route, which increases from Daily to 10 weekly. The new 3 weekly service operates at night-time from Johannesburg, early-morning from Harare using 737-300 a/c.

Schedule:

BA6267 JNB1220 – 1355HRE 734 D
BA6265 JNB1840 – 2015HRE 733 347
BA6266 HRE0700 – 0840JNB 733 145
BA6268 HRE1435 – 1615JNB 734 D

Tuesday 21 February 2012

SAA Schedule Change


Starting March 25th 2012, South African Airways will be adjusting its schedule resulting in more convenient connection opportunities to and from SAA’s international flights. Flight times for SA028 and SA029 between Johannesburg and Harare will be optimized. SA028 and SA029 will also be upgraded to wide body A330 aircraft on Fridays, accounting for the typically higher demand on that day. SAA is also operating wide-body aircraft on Thursdays flight SA 022/023.

Air Zimbabwe Fails to Resume Flights



Struggling Air Zimbabwe which was supposed to resume flights yesterday failed to do so due to its current debt crisis and striking working force. The airline was supposed to resume flights to local destinations including Bulawayo and Victoria Falls but so far no updated report has been posted on their website. Will keep you posted on any new updates.

Sunday 19 February 2012

Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Scheduled for Harare



Effective 16th September 2012, Ethiopian Airlines will operate Boeing 787 direct service four times a week to Harare. Operational dates are Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday service will be operated by 737-800 a/c. Although the route mentioned above is now open for reservation, there is a chance for 787 inaugural date to be altered pending on delivery time frame.

Friday 17 February 2012

Emirates Schedule Change

 Starting March 25th, Emirates EK 714 will have a change in schedule. Currently the flight departs HRE at 19.20 but will soon change its departure time to 1850 arriving in LUN at 19.50. Arrival in DXB will be at 0640. EK 713 remains unchanged.

Wednesday 15 February 2012

Benefit of Low Cost Carriers to Zimbabwe

South African Low Cost Carriers such as 1time Airlines and Velvet sky have show great interest in plying the Zimbabwe routes including Harare and Victoria Falls. A report showed that 1time had applied for landing slots but whether or not the applications were approved has not yet been confirmed. Currently the Hre-Jnb route is one of the busiest International routes within Africa but one of the most expensive to travel. The average price for a return ticket can cost between $440 and $600 on either South African Airways or British Airways (Comair) with Air Zimbabwe having canceled their service on this route. The introduction of LCC's on these routes can lower fares by close to 50% which will mean fares will cost around $200-$300, a big difference compared to the current fares. It will definitely prove beneficial for your average business and leisure traveler who in the past might have had to make the journey by car or bus which takes 14-16 hours and also avoids the recurring problems at the borders. Personally i think the route can start off with a twice daily service between Jnb and Hre (which is basically taking over Air Zim's service) then a once daily service between Jnb-Vfa. Other options include service to and from Lanseria airport in Johannesburg which has cheaper landing costs. Hopefully we can see such a development here in the near future.

Sunday 12 February 2012

Air Zimbabwe Resuming Flights


 According to the Air Zimbabwe website www.airzimbabwe.com the airline will be resuming flights starting February 20th. Operations will resume with limited services as follow:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday
Harare/Bulawayo/Victoria Falls 0700/0815 - 0845/1000
Victoria Falls/Harare 1030/1215

The airline will also be restoring services to normal levels gradually and the traveling public and industry will continuously be informed.

Thursday 9 February 2012

Landing in Harare



Landing at Harare International Airport on British Airways flight BA6267 from Johannesburg. This was recorded on a rainy Thursday afternoon 19 January 2012. Enjoy!!!

Wednesday 8 February 2012

RUMOR, British Airways & Qatar planning Harare

Plenty of rumor and speculation has been flying around about BA making its return to Harare and also Qatar Airways planning a direct service into the country but of course no official word has been given by both airlines. From what I have read so far, Qatar Airways has been doing a major push into Africa and recently announced new routes to Kigali, Mombasa and Zanzibar. I can really see them introduce a service into Harare maybe via Lusaka like Emirates is doing but maybe this will only happen in 2013/14. The success Emirates is having and will have in future will definitely be a driver for Qatar to enter the market. British Airways will always have great business here but it was the tough economic times that forced them to pull-out of this route. Currently things are a lot more stable and travel has definitely picked up so I could see them begin flying again maybe winter 2012 which is our summer here in Zimbabwe. Obliviously this
is my own opinion but it will be interesting to see how these rumors turn out.

Emirates could fly Daily by October



According to reports, Emirates which began service to Harare on February 1st could be having daily service by as early as October if the current load factor is maintained. The airline is so far at 80% capacity which is proving to be a success as inaugural flights normally have a load capacity of 40-50 percent, the report stated. In the future Emirates plan is to eventually split the route and have direct service to Zambia and Zimbabwe. This will definitely be a boost to the aviation industry and also help attract other airlines into the country.

Air Namibia Schedule Change



It looks like Air Namibia's plan to resume service into Harare starting April 1st has change. According to speculation the airline was understaffed forcing the move to be delayed until mid May. Online bookings so far only begin on May 16th but an official press release is expected from Air Namibia confirming its plans.

Thursday 2 February 2012

Emirates Successful Inaugural Flight

Emirates Airlines has successfully launched its service on the Dubai-Harare via Lusaka route. Several hundred spectators, travelers and VIP's attended the event at the Harare International Airport. The new service is expected to boost arrivals in the country and promote tourism which has suffered in recent years. The Dubai-Harare route is expected to support the import and export of a diverse range of commodities including machinery, textiles, clothing, electronics and pharmaceuticals. Imports are expected from markets like the United Arab Emirates, South East Asia, the Indian Sub-continent and Europe. Exports from Zimbabwe will include vegetables, fresh fruits and flowers to Europe, Far East and Australia. Minerals such as platinum and diamonds will be destined for European and Indian markets. Emirates currently employs 20 specialists in its city and airport offices while there are 87 Zimbabweans working for the airline across the world.