British Airways ‘in shock return to Zimbabwe’
November 27, 2009 by Webmaster · 2 Comments
British Airways will resume direct flights to Zimbabwe next spring after an absence of two years, a senior government official has claimed.
The UK flag carrier severed historic ties with the African country in September 2007 amid a deteriorating political and economic climate under President Robert Mugabe.
But according to David Chaota, chief executive officer of the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe, BA has now agreed with Harare to resume operations.
The official told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Communication that a deal has been reached to re-open the connection.
“British Airways will be coming back next year between March and April and that is why we have hope [of increased tourism] in 2010,” state-run The Herald quoted Mr Chaota as saying. He added: “The coming back of BA may also bring in other airlines.”
Global carriers including Lufthansa, Air France and Qantas axed flights to Zimbabwe during the height of political tensions, but a recent power-sharing deal between Mr Mugabe and longstanding rival Morgan Tsvangirai has improved the country’s outlook.
