Artist Impression: New Victoria Falls International Airport Opening April 2015

New Victoria Falls Airport set to open in April 2015

The Victoria Falls International Airport expansion project which is expected to be completed in April 2015 will have the capacity to handle 1,2 million passengers per annum and can also accommodate three Boeing 747 aircraft at any one time. The completion of the runway will also pave way for the contractors to resurface and extend the current runway to convert it to a taxiway. The civil works are expected to be completed in November paving way for the aircrafts to land on the new 4km runway, while electrical works, lighting, air traffic navigation and instrument landing systems will be completed by the end of the project. Upgrades include not only a new terminal building but also three aerobridges, a new perimeter fence, a broader runway to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft, a new fire station, a new control tower plus an extension to the parking area. In keeping with many modern airports, the new terminal will exploit natural light through a glass façade and provide visitors with an incredible first impression of the Victoria Falls area.

 

Entrance to the Victoria Falls Airport with the Construction site on the Left

 

Road heading to the current Victoria Falls Airport Terminal

 

Facing the current International Terminal with the new Terminal in the Distance

 

Entrance into the current Domestic Terminal, it was revamped before the 2013 UNWTO summit

 

The current International Terminal which will be converted into the Domestic Terminal

 

Looking out at the new Terminal Construction site

On-going Construction Work at the new International Terminal 

Victoria Falls ready to host Routes Africa 2014

According to Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ), Victoria Falls chapter chairperson, Jonathan Hudson, Victoria Falls is ready to host Routes Africa 2014 forum for the first time. He said while there were no major refurbishments to be expected for the forum to be held from June 22-24, this year, indications were that hosting the event would see the country derive major economic benefits. Routes Africa, the largest route development forum for the entire African region is a forum where airlines, aviation, tourism and government representatives  from the continent meet to explore opportunities to develop the aviation industry. The event will be organised by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ).

 

“As HAZ I think we are ready for the forum which will see about 400-500 delegates in attendance."

Much work was done last year as the country prepared to co-host the 20th session of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly,” he said. Clement Mukwasi, a tourism executive in the resort town said the forum was also coming at a time when the country was making aggressive strides to make Zimbabwe a leading tourism destination.

 

“As operators we feel all is in place. UNWTO last year was a platform that is opening such avenues and we are hoping that such forums pay dividends through increased arrivals by tourists,” he said. Victoria Falls International Airport, situated 21km south of the town, provides easy access to Victoria Falls and is currently served by scheduled domestic and regional flights and charter flights from various parts of the world.

 

The airport is currently implementing a major infrastructure upgrading project at a total cost of $150 million including construction of a new runway, international terminal building and control tower and is expected to be completed by December 2014.

 

Source: The Chronicle

VIDEO: British Airways by Comair Departs Victoria Falls Airport

Zimbabwe signs 7 Air Services Agreements

 The government says it has ratified seven bilateral air services agreements in a development which will see more tourist arrivals and an improvement on the sector's gross domestic product (GDP) contribution. The Minister of Tourism and Hospitality, Walter Mzembi revealed that cabinet approved the ratification of seven bilateral air service agreements, adding that the move is expected to boost the sector's revenue and its contribution to the GDP.

Mzembi, who was addressing senior army officers at the Zimbabwe Staff College, said his ministry has adopted several strategies which will be used to achieve the targets which were set by the government. "We are expected to contribute at least $3 billion to the GDP by 2018 from the current $851 million," he said. Mzembi said some of the strategies to improve the tourism sector's GDP contribution include the liberalisation of visas and the internal distribution of tourists. Currently, the tourism sector contributes 10 percent to the GDP.

Meanwhile, airline passengers have increased by 24 percent with the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) saying the figures recorded last year confirm that the country's connectivity has improved. A total of 594 000 arrivals came through local airports in 2013 up from 481 000 in 2012. Harare International Airport accounted for the bulk of the arrivals. CAAZ attributed the increase to improved connectivity brought about by new airlines in the skies. The hosting of major conferences such as the UNWTO General Assembly, as well as Air Zimbabwe's resumption of normal services were also cited as other factors that contributed to the increase in arrivals.

Local travel and tourism executive, Zodwa Mkandla said the government should be commended for its extensive marketing efforts of the country, highlighting that this augurs well for the tourism industry. "This means the airlines are making money, the travel agents are making money and I am sure CAAZ is smiling all the way to the bank," she said. Data from CAAZ shows that Harare International Airport recorded 435 000 arrivals, 90 percent of which were international arrivals while Victoria Falls and Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo airports recorded 107 000 and 45 100 passengers respectively.
 

Air travel has been on the increase in the country since Zimbabwe embraced some of the key principles of the open skies policy. Some of the airlines that resumed flights into the country include Emirates, British Airways, Mozambique's lAM Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Egypt Air.

 

Source: Bulawayo24

Zimbabwean LCC startup, flyafrica.com, set to get first Czech B737-500

 

 

flyafrica.com (FZW, Harare Int'l) is set to take delivery of its first of five ex-CSA Czech Airlines (OK, Prague) B737-500s Skyliner Aviation has reported. The Zimbabwean start-up's first twinjet, T7-FAA (msn 26539), was recently spotted in an all-white livery prior to its handing over to flyafrica.

Research shows the airline has acquired the Air Operators Certificate granted to defunct Zimbabwean Low Cost Carrier, Fresh Air (Zimbabwe) (Z7, Harare Int'l). Initial destinations are believed to include Harare Int'l, Victoria Falls and Johannesburg O.R. Tambo.

Source: ch-aviation

Air Zimbabwe Special Fares

Air Zimbabwe is currently offering special fares on several routes. The Harare-Bulawayo flight has gone down from $300 to $105. A one-way ticket for the same route is $61. The Harare-Victoria Falls flight is down from US$421 to US$180 while return Harare-Johannesburg is now US$275 from US$420. One way flights for the same routes are $140 and $150 respectively. These fares are valid until 31 July. The national airline has been struggling with negative perception due to mismanagement in the past few years.

Air Zimbabwe receives first Airbus A320

Air Zimbabwe has taken delivery of the first of two Airbus A320's, which is expected to operate on  regional routes ahead of the country hosting the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in August 2013. The plane, which was under going routine maintenance and safety checks yesterday at the Harare International Airport, had already had the airline’s livery. According to the airline, the A320 will start operating on the Harare-Johannesburg route soon.

Air Zimbabwe has so far resumed daily flights to Victoria Falls, Bulawayo and Johannesburg.
The airline’s board chairperson Ozias Bvute told Parliament in March that Air Zimbabwe will resume international flights to London in July this year after beefing up its fleet as part of its turnaround strategy.

“We have looked at route viability and we have identified the short-term routes that we think we want to concentrate on and ensure that those routes are managed and serviced properly for the benefit of our travelling partners,” Bvute said then.

Etihad and SAA announce Codeshare Agreement

Etihad and SAA this morning signed a Memorandum of Understanding which involves codeshare agreements between the two airlines. SAA will codeshare on 12 of Etihad Airways flights to Abu Dhabi and beyond while Etihad will place their code on 10 cities in parts of Southern Africa. Etihad will place the EY code on the following cities served by South African Airways out of Johannesburg; Cape Town, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Livingstone, Lusaka, Ndola, Harare and Victoria Falls. The agreement will also allow passengers to earn and redeem miles through the frequent flyer programmes.



Source: Emirates 24/7

Can Air Zimbabwe Become Successful Once Again?

Air Zimbabwe, the seemingly ailing national carrier is currently undergoing a restructuring programme aimed at making the airline competitive once again. Burdened with large debts and an ageing fleet of Boeing 767-200ERs and 737-200's, the carrier recently announced a fleet renewal exercise as part of the restructuring programme. Currently two Airbus A320's have joined the fleet with one recently undergoing safety inspections and certified to operate on regional routes such as HRE-JNB. Plans have also been availed to acquire new short range Embraer jets from the Brazilian maker.

But what exactly is the long term strategy for Air Zimbabwe? Several new routes have been mentioned including Durban, Mauritius, London, Lagos and Munich but is this really the best option? Currently the dominant legacy carriers on the African continent include South African Airways, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines and Kenyan Airways. They are mainly characterized by their large fleets, hub-networks, expansive route-links as well as allegiances to alliances (Star Alliance, SkyTeam).

So the question is, can Air Zimbabwe compete with these dominant carriers? At the moment we have several smaller carriers making their mark on the African continent. These include Rwandair, Precisionair and probably the new player in the game Fastjet. So unlike the European and .U.S. markets where competition is highly saturated, the African market still has major potential for growth. So my next question is were does Air Zimbabwe fit into this whole picture?

As the legacy carrier that Air Zimbabwe currently is, the need to adopt a hybrid strategy can be critical to the revival of the airline. With the current small fleet it operates, a point to point strategy can be adopted where they focus on cutting costs and increasing efficiency, a strategy done very successfully by Easy Jet. At the moment Air Zimbabwe operates a Boeing 767-200ER on the HRE-JNB route which sits all day in Johannesburg before returning to Harare in the evening. The airline can adopt a fast turn-around strategy were they can do 4-8 profitable daily shifts between Harare and Johannesburg. But you ask, is there really a market for this? My answer is simply YES, but the challenge is the price. Middle income earners are not able to pay the current lowest price charged by SAA and BA Comair of $400 return trip. Air Zimbabwe can utilize their crew efficiently and adopt ancillary revenues methods from non-ticket sources such as baggage fees, food & beverage etc. Remember we are talking about point to point basis here so why not even fly into the cheaper airports like Lanseria.

Implementing Revenue Management systems to strategically control inventory, availability on GDS (Global Distribution Systems), and a reliable web presences can assist dearly in Air Zimbabwe's renewal. Some routes were Air Zim can successfully operate on a point-to-point include; Harare-Johannesburg, Harare-Cape Town, Harare-Durban, Bulawayo-Johannesburg, Victoria Falls-Johannesburg, just to name a few.
In conclusion, Air Zimbabwe can become a successful carrier once again with the right management team in place and a strategy that fits their current situation. We wish them best of luck in the near future.

Written by; Mlandeli Ndlela at HREAirportblog

Air Botswana Cancels Planned Routes

According to current GDS inventory display, Air Botswana has once again cancelled planned service launch to Nairobi, Lanseria and Maun – Victoria Falls service. The following routes were due to start from March31, 2013 after being postponed from Winter 2012/13 season, however the airline will no longer plan to launch these new routes.

• Gaborone – Harare – Nairobi
  BP250 GBE1130 – 1340HRE1425 – 1825NBO 146 24
  BP251 NBO0900 – 1100HRE1200 – 1340GBE 146 35
• Gaborone – Lanseria Previously planned from 03APR13 (Reservation is closed, however schedule listing is still appearing in the GDS)
  BP301 GBE0720 – 0820HLA AT5 35
  BP303 GBE1600 – 1700HLA AT5 35BP302 HLA0850 – 0950GBE AT5 35
  BP304 HLA1800 – 1900GBE AT5 35
• Maun – Victoria Falls
  BP241 MUB1015 – 1115VFA AT5 24
  BP243 MUB1515 – 1615VFA AT5 6BP242 VFA1200 – 1300MUB AT5 24
  BP244 VFA1700 – 1800MUB AT5 6

Source: Airlineroute.net

Fresh Air Commences First Flight in November

Fresh Air, the Zimbabwean registered airline who recently entered into a joint venture (JV) agreement with South African low cost carrier, 1time Airline, is set to take to the skies on Friday, 2 November 2012 with their first flight departing OR Tambo International Airport en route to Victoria Falls Airport, Zimbabwe. The route schedule, which as it stands, includes three weekly flights from OR Tambo International Airport on Mondays and Fridays at 10:40 am respectively, as well as a Sunday flight at 10:20 am.
As initially agreed, the JV encompasses 1time utilising its fleet of aircraft to serve the Fresh Air route, which subsequently replaces 1time’s current Livingstone flight schedule in favour of flights between Johannesburg and Victoria Falls Airport.
The route schedule, which as it stands, includes three weekly flights from OR Tambo International Airport on Mondays and Fridays at 10:40 am respectively, as well as a Sunday flight at 10:20 am.

Update: New Air Botswana Schedule

From the 28th of October 2012, Air Botswana will add several new routes to their schedule including Nairobi, Cape Town, Lilongwe, Blantyre, Lanseria (Johannesburg) and Victoria Falls. Harare will recieve a fourth weekly (Tuesday) non-stop flight (ATR 42-500) while Mondays & Saturdays will operate GBE-HRE-NBO-HRE-GBE (Avro RJ85 Avroliner) and Wednesdays will operate GBE-HRE-BLZ-HRE-GBE (Avro RJ85 Avroliner)  . The Victoria Falls-Maun route will be non-stop every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday (ATR 42-500). The new schedule is available for booking but still subject to change. Air Botswana is yet to make an announcement on these new routes.

http://www.airbotswana.co.bw/

Fresh-Air Launching Soon!!!

Their website is still in progress, stay tuned for more info. http://www.fly-fresh.com

Air Botswana Addition Routes incl: Maun-Victoria Falls

Air Botswana plans to add several new routes to its current schedule from the 28th of October, 2012.
The following destinations will be added:

Gaborone - Cape Town
Gaborone - Lanseria (Johannesburg)
Gaborone - Lilongwe
Gaborone - Blantyre
Maun - Victoria Falls
Gaborone - Nairobi

Stay tuned for more on this!!!

1time launches Zimbabwe low cost airline

 1time Airlines has concluded a joint venture agreement with Nu-Aero, trading as Fresh Air, a registered Zimbabwean company. Fresh Air is jointly owned by Nu.Com of Zimbabwe and 1time holdings. This strategic partnership has resulted in the launch of Zimbabwe's first low-cost air services provider, which will begin offering flights initially in September 2012. As part of the agreement, 1time will cease its current Livingstone route in favour of flights between Johannesburg and Victoria Falls, which will subsequently become a Fresh Air operation.
Fresh Air and 1time completed the Civil Aviation Authority regulatory demonstration flight from OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg to Harare International Airport, before flying to Victoria Falls and then back to Johannesburg. Blacky Komani, CEO of 1time Airline says that this newly found agreement with Fresh Air provides an opportunity for both companies to take advantage of the fact that Africa is the only continent where the low-cost carrier model is yet to take flight with regional destinations. 1time will have a short term dispensation to operate aircraft on the ZS register, while executing a migration to Zimbabwean registered and crewed operation. This process will be carried out within a year. Feel free to leave your views on this new development.

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.