Air Zimbabwe to launch flights to London Gatwick by June 2026
February 1, 2026
Debt-crippled Air Zimbabwe is hoping to pave its path to success as it plans long-haul expansion to London Gatwick with a refreshed fleet and strategy. In a public lecture at the Harare Institute of Technology, the CEO of the Zimbabwean sovereign wealth fund – Mutapa Investment Fund – outlined the plan for the company this year.
Mutapa took over all state-owned entities in 2023, absorbing the associated debt and devising plans to revitalise the country’s different industries. Air Zimbabwe is one of them, with the plan currently to sell its two Boeing 777 aircraft which it acquired from Malaysia Airlines in 2020. The pair have been idle since delivery.
By selling its 777s, the carrier hopes to finance additional regional aircraft for domestic routes and ultimately lease a “bigger plane” for services to London.
Air Zimbabwe wants to fly to London Gatwick by June 2026
Zimbabwe wants to launch flights between Harare and London by June 2026 at the latest, according to CEO John Panonetsa Mangudya.
“Good work has been put in place, and I was advised by the Chairman of Air Zimbabwe, the CEO, that by June of this year – or before then, they wanted earlier but I said for the purpose of my public lecture I shall just say by June – we need to fly Harare-London,” he revealed.
“That route is one of the most lucrative routes in Africa. Before we used to export our horticulture in the evening, and in the morning it was already on the shelves in the shops in the UK.”
The company used to fly to London up until March 2012, according to information from aviation analytics firm Cirium. Since then, no carrier has flown between the two cities.
According to African aviation expert Sean Mendis, the route has considerable potential. “We have seen that Harare to London is the single largest route in Africa without non-stop service so there is no doubt the demand exists, but Air Zimbabwe’s financial and operational track record unfortunately leaves one in doubt as to whether they can be the ones to realise the potential.”
He also believes the route makes sense from a commercial perspective. “Zimbabwe generates substantial local and diaspora driven demand, which means that once a compelling value proposition is in place, the revenue side of the equation is relatively achievable.”
To fly between the two cities, passengers typically chose flights between RwandAir via Kigali, Kenya Airways via Nairobi, Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa or either Qatar Airways or Emirates via the Gulf.
Air Zimbabwe’s restructuring plan
The carrier’s current fleet consists of 7 aircraft, with an average age of 29 years old according to planespotters.net. Commercial aircraft typically only operate for 20-30 years.
| Aircraft | Number | Average age (years) |
|---|---|---|
| ATR 42 | 1 | 20.8 |
| Boeing 737-200 | 1 | 39.2 |
| Boeing 767-200 | 1 | 35.8 |
| Embraer ERJ-145 | 2 | 24.5 |
Its new five-year turnaround plan includes rebuilding the fleet with six new aircraft to replace the Boeing planes in its current operation. According to Mangudya, it will sell its Boeing 777s.
“We will then use it [the money] to put a deposit for small aircraft for domestic and we are putting in place a facility to lease, to hire, a bigger plane. One of those Boeings, to fly Harare-London,” he continued.
There is plenty to do to get Air Zimbabwe back on track and Harare-London is an ambitious target indeed.
Featured image: Thiago Trevisan | stock.adobe.com
