Zimpapers Logo

Pamela Shumba Senior Reporter
SCORES of Air Zimbabwe passengers were yesterday stranded at the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo and the Harare International Airports after the national airline reportedly ran out of jet fuel.

The passengers had to wait for more than eight hours as the local Boeing 737, according to officials, flew to Zambia to purchase fuel for the trips.

When The Chronicle visited the Joshua Mqabuko airport yesterday morning, passengers were scattered around the airport as they patiently waited to fly to Harare.

The passengers had checked in at 7.30AM and were supposed to take off at 8.30 AM.

The airline crew announced that the airbus would take off at 12.45PM but the passengers were delayed further before finally leaving for Harare at 3.30PM.

They landed in Harare at 4.15PM.

Some passengers drove back into the city centre and returned at the airport before 1PM only to be told that they would spend more hours waiting.

Air Zimbabwe spokesperson Shingai Dhliwayo was not answering her mobile phone yesterday.

Passengers said they were dissatisfied with the airline.

They said simple business etiquette dictated that the airline should have informed them a day before that there was a problem.

They said the airline crew told them that there was a serious shortage of jet fuel in the region, which was making it difficult for them to run their business smoothly.

“This is pure hogwash. Why is the so called regional shortage only affecting Air Zimbawe? The airline is simply failing to manage its business,” fumed a passenger.

Another passenger questioned how the airline was able to get fuel from Zambia if aviation fuel shortage was a regional problem.

“Air Zimbabwe should know that this is a serious business and render better service to its customers,” said the passenger.

Sydney Macheka, who said he was rushing for a business appointment scheduled for 11AM in Harare, said he was disappointed with the delay.

“Air Zimbabwe can do better than this. We spent the whole day seated at the airport and they kept on announcing that we would leave shortly but we ended up leaving at about 3PM.

“It would have been fair if they told us that their problem would take the whole day to solve. We could’ve come up with alternatives instead of spending the whole day waiting,” he said.

Macheka said it was unfortunate that Air Zimbabwe was booking passengers yet they were not in a position to fly.

“I’m disappointed because I missed a very important meeting in Harare. I would’ve appreciated it if I had been told on time that there was a serious problem.

“Most of us travel by plane because we want to save time by spending less hours travelling. This defeats the whole purpose of flying. Those who travelled by road arrived in Harare while we were still waiting for the plane,” he said.

Macheka said the airline should have told them that there was no plane instead of running around while passengers were waiting.

The national airline has in the past delayed its passengers, leaving them stranded with no food or drink for hours after failing to provide an aircraft.

In December last year, the national airliner had to charter an InterAir plane from South Africa for passengers.

During the same month, Air Zimbabwe had a mid-air scare when the landing gear of the Boeing 737 developed a mechanical fault.

In September the same year, passengers were stranded for hours as the plane failed to take off.

Last month, the flight from Harare to Victoria Falls was delayed for more than an hour as staff reportedly refused to fuel the plane before being paid outstanding allowances.

Again last month, the airbus, which has 12 business and 93 economy class seats, flew one passenger from Johannesburg to Victoria Falls. AirZim resumed daily flights between Victoria Falls and Johannesburg in 2013 reportedly in response to the growing inbound and outbound traffic.

Since the incarcerated former chief executive officer Peter Chikumba left in 2011, the airline has failed to appoint a substantive head.

Innocent Mavhunga was appointed to hold forte, albeit in an acting capacity. He was removed from the post when it emerged that senior staffers had creamed off the airline through an insurance scam. The insurance scam claimed the scalps of former company secretary Grace Pfumbidzayi and Chikumba who are serving a seven year jail term each.

Edmund Makona has been acting CEO since 2013.

In September 2011, the airline again flew one passenger from Victoria Falls to Harare. In 2006, the troubled airline also flew one passenger from Dubai to Harare.

In 2012, a captain and a senior flight attendant were suspended after the airline flew in more passengers than the required 105 on the Boeing 737 aircraft.