Euro zone bans Air Zim for safety failings

BANKRUPT Air Zimbabwe was banned this week from flying into Europe for failing to comply with safety standards in the euro zone.

This is bad news for the carrier as it says it wants to reinstate its once highly profitable and well supported flight to the UK.

It had to pull out from that route when the airline’s creditors seized one of its only long haul aircraft on the London runway. Eventually, the debt was paid, but there are still outstanding bills.

This week Air Zimbabwe only has one aircraft in the air supporting its domestic flights and its regular daily flight to South Africa.

Air Zimbabwe’s latest boss is President Robert Mugabe’s son-in-law, Simba Chikore.

Air Zimbabwe was added to the unsafe list which included several other, mostly small airlines from Nigeria, St Vincent, the Grenadines and Ukraine.

They were added “due to unaddressed safety deficiencies detected by the European Aviation Safety Agency during the assessment for a third country operator authorisation,” the EU commission said.

Air Zimbabwe’s ban took effect on Wednesday, May 17.

Transport commissioner Violeta Bulc said:“this is also a signal to the 16 countries that remain on the list. It shows work and co-operation pay off.”

Air Zimbabwe’s four other aircraft all need maintenance and Mugabe now has to charter a Boeing 767 for his medical appointments in Singapore.

His younger son, Chatunga, and two aides flew to Johannesburg earlier this week on a business class flight on SAA.