Air Zimbabwe 777
by Staff reporter
Air Zimbabwe has flown its Boeing 777 to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, as the struggling airline moves to conclude a lease agreement for the aircraft delivered from Malaysia in January.
The US$16.5 million plane, acquired from Malaysia Airlines, was flown by German pilot Werner Heumann, who arrived in Harare on Monday aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight which was repatriating 30 Zimbabwean nationals who had been trapped by coronavirus lockdowns in several overseas countries.
While the Zimbabweans, most returning from the United Kingdom and the United States, were taken to a facility in Harare for a mandatory 14-day quarantine, Heumann and a Swiss national, Simon Erwin Jungen, had been allowed into the country, puzzling some airport officials.
Heumann's special mission became clear, however, on Tuesday when he captained the flight to Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, landing at 3.38PM CAT.
A senior Air Zimbabwe executive told ZimLive that a deal to lease the aircraft was in the works, and they had judged it to be beneficial to position the plane at Addis Ababa, one of Africa's busiest airports.
'The plane is going to Addis Ababa for positioning and possible leasing out. We have been in negotiations with a few airlines who have shown interest, and Ethiopian are leading that pack. They have agreed to take possession of the aircraft for now, and will maintain it, while the talks continue,' the official said.
Air Zimbabwe, with debts of over US$300 million, suspended overseas flights to London and Beijing in 2011 over threats to seize its aircraft by creditors.
Air Zimbabwe says it currently has no capacity to resume the international flights, and is aiming at growing its domestic and regional presence to stabilise its operations.
The airline currently flies a single plane, a Boeing 767, on domestic and regional flights to Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg.
In 2016, ministers secretly created a debt-free new national airline – Zimbabwe Airways – in the hope that it would be capacitated with airplanes and eventually rise from Air Zimbabwe's ashes. The new airline collapsed after the plan was exposed, leaving Air Zimbabwe to take over negotiations to acquire two Boeing 777 aircraft from Malaysia and an Embraer ERJ 145 from the United States.
Only one of the Boeing 777s and the Embraer have been delivered. The 15-year-old B777 has been parked since 2015 after Malaysia Airlines decided to retire its entire B777 fleet following the disappearance without trace of MH370 in 2014 and the downing of MH17 by a missile over Ukraine in the same year.
The plane, bearing registration Z-RGM, was named in honour of the late former president Robert Gabriel Mugabe.
The US$16.5 million plane, acquired from Malaysia Airlines, was flown by German pilot Werner Heumann, who arrived in Harare on Monday aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight which was repatriating 30 Zimbabwean nationals who had been trapped by coronavirus lockdowns in several overseas countries.
While the Zimbabweans, most returning from the United Kingdom and the United States, were taken to a facility in Harare for a mandatory 14-day quarantine, Heumann and a Swiss national, Simon Erwin Jungen, had been allowed into the country, puzzling some airport officials.
Heumann's special mission became clear, however, on Tuesday when he captained the flight to Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, landing at 3.38PM CAT.
A senior Air Zimbabwe executive told ZimLive that a deal to lease the aircraft was in the works, and they had judged it to be beneficial to position the plane at Addis Ababa, one of Africa's busiest airports.
'The plane is going to Addis Ababa for positioning and possible leasing out. We have been in negotiations with a few airlines who have shown interest, and Ethiopian are leading that pack. They have agreed to take possession of the aircraft for now, and will maintain it, while the talks continue,' the official said.
Air Zimbabwe, with debts of over US$300 million, suspended overseas flights to London and Beijing in 2011 over threats to seize its aircraft by creditors.
Air Zimbabwe says it currently has no capacity to resume the international flights, and is aiming at growing its domestic and regional presence to stabilise its operations.
The airline currently flies a single plane, a Boeing 767, on domestic and regional flights to Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg.
In 2016, ministers secretly created a debt-free new national airline – Zimbabwe Airways – in the hope that it would be capacitated with airplanes and eventually rise from Air Zimbabwe's ashes. The new airline collapsed after the plan was exposed, leaving Air Zimbabwe to take over negotiations to acquire two Boeing 777 aircraft from Malaysia and an Embraer ERJ 145 from the United States.
Only one of the Boeing 777s and the Embraer have been delivered. The 15-year-old B777 has been parked since 2015 after Malaysia Airlines decided to retire its entire B777 fleet following the disappearance without trace of MH370 in 2014 and the downing of MH17 by a missile over Ukraine in the same year.
The plane, bearing registration Z-RGM, was named in honour of the late former president Robert Gabriel Mugabe.
Air Zimbabwe is set to take delivery of its first two Boeing 777s. The B777-200 (ER)s are currently owned by Malaysia Airlines and are being prepared to be released. The Boeing 777s are set to join Air Zimbabwe as it looks to grow its fleet. Photo: Boeing Dreamscape via Wikimedia Commons. Source: Air Zimbabwe Plans On Leasing Out Its Boeing 777s – Simple Flying Air Zimbabwe only recently acquired two older Boeing 777s from Malaysia Airlines. However, it already has plans to lease out the.
Source - zimlive
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Air Zimbabwe 777
Air Zimbabwe has taken delivery of its second Boeing 777-200ER, following receipt of the first in January. Taken from Malaysia Airlines, the loss-making and heavily indebted carrier is considering leasing them. Air Zimbabwe has an active fleet of two aircraft. Her Embraer 145 is currently in C-check in South Africa.
Air Zimbabwe's second Boeing 777-200ER (Z-NBE, msn 28422) has finally arrived. The 282-seater plane was picked up on Saturday (October 3) at Harare's Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport by Zimbabwe's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development Biggie Matiza. It joins the first aircraft in the same segment received by the national carrier last January.
The two planes came from a lease order negotiated by former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe with Malaysia Airlines while he was still in office. They were originally intended for Zimbabwe Airways, the future national carrier disbanded by current head of state Emmerson Mnangagwa. Its assets were eventually transferred to Air Zimbabwe.
In February, Reggie Saruchera of Grant Thornton, director of the loss-making carrier, reported that nine companies have already expressed interest in leasing the two 777-200ERs. 'Activation of this lease will provide the foreign currency income necessary for Air Zimbabwe to expand its current aircraft fleet with an option to purchase or lease smaller aircraft,' he argued.
Air Zimbabwe currently operates a 767-200 (Z-WPF) and a 737-200 (Z-WPA). She is awaiting the return of her only Embraer ERJ145, sent to South Africa for a C-Check. Its decommissioned fleet includes one 767-200, one 737-200, three MA60s and two A320-200s.
Air Zimbabwe's second Boeing 777-200ER (Z-NBE, msn 28422) has finally arrived. The 282-seater plane was picked up on Saturday (October 3) at Harare's Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport by Zimbabwe's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development Biggie Matiza. It joins the first aircraft in the same segment received by the national carrier last January.
The two planes came from a lease order negotiated by former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe with Malaysia Airlines while he was still in office. They were originally intended for Zimbabwe Airways, the future national carrier disbanded by current head of state Emmerson Mnangagwa. Its assets were eventually transferred to Air Zimbabwe.
In February, Reggie Saruchera of Grant Thornton, director of the loss-making carrier, reported that nine companies have already expressed interest in leasing the two 777-200ERs. 'Activation of this lease will provide the foreign currency income necessary for Air Zimbabwe to expand its current aircraft fleet with an option to purchase or lease smaller aircraft,' he argued.
Air Zimbabwe currently operates a 767-200 (Z-WPF) and a 737-200 (Z-WPA). She is awaiting the return of her only Embraer ERJ145, sent to South Africa for a C-Check. Its decommissioned fleet includes one 767-200, one 737-200, three MA60s and two A320-200s.