(Posted 02nd March 2023)
Fastjet Zimbabwe has today welcomed the delivery of a first Embraer 120, 30-seater aircraft to its Harare base.
The arrival of the first of three Embraer 120 aircraft is in preparation for the value-based airline’s plans to operate domestic flights to Kariba and Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. These new routes will bring to five the domestic destinations that fastjet operates in Zimbabwe after Harare, Victoria Falls and Bulawayo offering customers seamless connections to Zimbabwe’s top domestic tourism destinations.
Nunurai Ndawana fastjet Zimbabwe spokesperson said, “We are delighted to welcome this aircraft to serve our domestic new routes to Kariba and Hwange National Park. Air connectivity is a key enabler for tourism development, and we continue to demonstrate our commitment to the development of tourism in Zimbabwe and the region” before adding: “We are finalising our preparations for the launch of flights to Kariba and Hwange National Park. The arrival of this aircraft will see us concluding the mandatory regulatory processes in operating flights to these strategic destinations in the development of tourism in Zimbabwe. In preparation for these route launches the aircraft will operate a series of ad-hoc charter flights around Zimbabwe ahead of the full schedule launch”.
The Embraer 120 ‘Brasilia’ is a turboprop aircraft and, as all other Fastjet planes, configured in a single class layout. Nunurai Ndawana had at an earlier occasion said: ‘The Embraer E120 is a robust turboprop aircraft designed for domestic operations, offering customers a pressurised cabin with spacious legroom and overhead baggage space. We intend to align our timings to schedule our flights in such a way that we offer customers the flexibility and convenience of multiple frequencies per day‘. He had also commented at the time about the airline’s commitment to further develop tourism in Zimbabwe: ‘We continue to demonstrate our commitment to the growth of tourism and the sustainability of air services in the markets we serve. The addition of these leisure destinations will greatly support our vision. Working closely with our industry stakeholders and partners, including Airports Company of Zimbabwe and the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe, we continue to explore ways to further develop the domestic Zimbabwean flight network.’
The new flights are available for booking via the fastjet website, App and the usual online trade portals.
