HARARE — Air Zimbabwe will miss the June deadline for resuming non-stop flights to London set by Mutapa Investment Fund chief executive John Mangudya, with the national carrier now targeting a July 1 launch date for the long-awaited Harare–London Gatwick service.
Mangudya stated in January that the airline would be flying to London by mid-year, saying he had been assured by the airline’s chairman and chief executive that the route would resume “by June this year, or before June.” The deadline has now quietly slipped by.
The flights will be operated under an ACMI arrangement — Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance — with Spanish long-haul carrier Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas providing the aircraft and crew while the service operates under the Air Zimbabwe brand. The model allows the cash-strapped national carrier to re-enter the route without relying on its own fleet, which lacks serviceable wide-body aircraft for long-haul operations.
Air Zimbabwe last flew to London in December 2011, when the airline’s ageing Boeing 767-200 fleet was threatened with repossession by creditors and was struggling to meet European regulatory and insurance requirements.
In the years since, successive transport ministers and Air Zimbabwe executives have announced imminent London relaunches, none of which materialised.
Mangudya, who has been more bullish than most about restoring the route, framed the London service as one of the most commercially attractive in Africa given the size of the Zimbabwean diaspora in Britain. He also cited the potential to revive fresh produce exports, noting that in the past, Zimbabwean horticulture could reach British supermarket shelves overnight.
Plus Ultra is expected to deploy either an Airbus A340-300 or an Airbus A330-200 on the route. Both aircraft types have the range to operate nonstop between Harare and Gatwick and meet UK and European airworthiness standards. The specific aircraft will depend on fleet availability at the time of operation.
London Gatwick has been selected over Heathrow, reflecting the greater slot availability that makes it a more practical choice for carriers operating under wet-lease arrangements. The airport offers strong access to the broader London metropolitan area and is already used by several African carriers.
Air Zimbabwe currently operates one Embraer ERJ-145 jet and a leased ATR 42-500 on domestic and regional routes. The airline is also in the process of disposing of two Boeing 777 aircraft acquired from Malaysia Airlines but never placed into service, with proceeds earmarked for a deposit on smaller domestic aircraft.
The Mutapa Investment Fund, which has absorbed the debts of Zimbabwe’s state-owned enterprises including Air Zimbabwe, is overseeing the fleet restructuring plan.
