ROUTES - Air Zimbabwe announces later London relaunch

The planned return of Air Zimbabwe (UM, Harare International) to London Gatwick after a 15-year hiatus has been shifted from a widely reported July 1 launch to July 22, the airline confirmed in a statement.

In a post-Cabinet meeting media briefing on July 8, information minister Zhemu Soda did not explain the delay, but confirmed an earlier announcement that the state-owned airline would resume the route using an A330-300 wet leased from Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas (PU, Madrid Barajas). The lessor previously announced that the duration of the contract is 13 months.

"The nation is advised that the airline will resume operations by the end of July 2026 and will use a leased Airbus A330-300 aircraft from Plus Ultra in Spain, with a total capacity of 302 seats, comprising 30 business-class seats and 272 economy-class seats," Soda declared, as cited by multiple local media outlets. He added that the route would initially be serviced 3x weekly.

Plus Ultra operates two A330-300s, but only one with that specific seat count and cabin configuration: 20-year-old EC-ONX (msn 769), which currently operates domestic routes in Spain. Plus Ultra leases the widebody from World Star Aviation. The aircraft was first delivered to China Airlines in 2006 and subsequently flew with GetJet Airlines, Airhub Airlines, and galistair (Malta).

ch-aviation has contacted Air Zimbabwe and Plus Ultra for more information on the delivery date and the reasons for the delay.

Air Zimbabwe last operated scheduled flights to London Gatwick in December 2011 when its single B767-200ER (currently in maintenance) was impounded after the airline failed to pay USD1.2 million for aircraft spares.

The incident reportedly prompted the government to establish Zimbabwe Airways (Harare International) to avoid similar disruptions on international routes, but the stillborn start-up was dropped by the Zimbabwean government in 2018. In October 2019, the B767 was impounded again over unpaid debts at Johannesburg O.R. Tambo.

The wet-lease arrangement with Plus Ultra circumvents the fact that Air Zimbabwe remains on the European Union's Air Safety List, meaning it is banned from operating within the EU because of unresolved safety deficiencies. It is also prohibited from operating commercial services to, from, and within the United Kingdom. The wet lease was brokered by Chapman Freeborn Aviation Services.

The relaunch forms part of a broader restructuring strategy led by the Mutapa Investment Fund, Air Zimbabwe's state-owned shareholder, which has repeatedly identified the London route as central to the carrier's recovery due to strong links with the Zimbabwean diaspora in the UK and agricultural export potential.

Air Zimbabwe's entire in-house fleet of two E145s, one B737-200, and the B767-200ER is grounded. It also wet leases one ATR42-500 from Kenya's Renegade Air for domestic flights and a regional link to Dar es Salaam, according to ADS-B data.

CH Aviation