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. 
| Harare/Bulawayo/Victoria Falls | 0700/0815 - 0845/1000 |
| Victoria Falls/Harare | 1030/1215 |
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
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.
