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Prosper Ndlovu, [email protected]

THE Second Republic has brought about a sustained positive trajectory in the implementation of aviation-related infrastructural development projects, which have surpassed achievements made in the past decades, Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) director general, Dr Engineer Elijah Chingosho, has said.

The aviation industry is regarded as the lifeblood of the global economy as it facilitates business efficiency through enhanced safety and security of travellers as well as cargo movement. 

Government’s vision to transform the country into an upper middle-income status by 2030, has inspired the drive towards full implementation of the ‘Open Skies Policy’ as guided by the mantra: “Zimbabwe is Open for Business” and the African Union 2063 Agenda towards a Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).

Since 2018 the country embarked on a programme to strengthen its aviation systems by transforming the sector through the separation of the regulatory and operational functions of the then Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe, which prior to that played a dual role. 

This culminated in the establishment of the Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ) in line with global best practices. When the Second Republic came into being in 2017, only three airlines were utilising the country’s airspace but now the number has jumped to 18 airlines  flying into the country.  Recently, Zimbabwe was audited by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (IAOZ), a specialised agency of the United Nations that among other things develops standards and recommendations for the global aviation industry.  

The outcome was a resounding endorsement of the country’s aviation safety and standards with project implementation score of 69 percent against the average goal of 67 percent and a sub-Saharan average of 58 percent, said Dr Chingosho in a report on aviation sector development dynamics, which was presented at the recent 2023 Infrastructure Summit and Expo in Victoria Falls.

In view of this, Zimbabwe continues to pursue its ambitious programme to upgrade and modernise the country’s aviation infrastructure. This includes a comprehensive expansion and modernisation programme covering the three largest international airports which are Robert Mugabe International Airport, Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport in Bulawayo and the Victoria Falls International Airport.

Two weeks ago, President Mnangagwa officially commissioned the US$153 million Robert Mugabe International Airport expansion project, which started in 2018. 

The expansion programme has increased the capacity of the airport from 2,5 million passengers per year to six million with four additional bridges and expanded facilities to accommodate more aircraft. 

The expanded infrastructure allows more foreign airlines to launch passenger and cargo flights into Harare. Therefore, more investors, business people and tourists will be able to visit the country using the best aviation facilities that the country has.

“Zimbabwe is on a positive trajectory in implementing aviation-related infrastructure development projects, which seek to place the nation in tandem with world-class standards,” said Dr Chingosho.

“Infrastructure projects in the aviation industry in the country have exceeded what has happened in previous decades. This has further enhanced the standards of safety, security, efficiency and operations in the country,” he added.

Dr Chingosho said huge investments have been witnessed in airports, communication, navigation and surveillance, air traffic management systems, ICT and the area of environmental protection.”

He said ensuring safety and security was the country’s number one priority hence the agency was already rolling out three major projects related to safety, which are at various stages of implementation. 

These include the Navigational Aids Systems in which the country is installing three Doppler Very High-Frequency Omni-Directional Range and Distance Measuring Equipment (DVOR/DME) for Robert Gabriel Mugabe, Masvingo and Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Airports.

The second project is focused on upgrading the Air Traffic Control Communication Systems where seven airports and sites will receive new-ground-to-air radio communication systems for effective communication between the air traffic controllers and aircraft in the national airspace.

The third project entails the installation of Secondary Surveillance Radar Systems at the Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo Airports.

“CAAZ will shortly embark on the production of Global Navigation Satellite Systems Procedures, which allow for Performance Based Navigation (PBN), which will increase efficiency in flight operations in Zimbabwe and reduce the carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint,” said Dr Chingosho.

Reiterating the significance of embracing modern technology in the sector, he said the Covid-19 period was an eye-opener as it incentivised digital transformation across the aviation industry.

“From cyber security to data management to information systems and automated services, airports are modernising infrastructure to improve customer experience, operations and staff efficiency,” said Dr Chingosho.

He said developing adequate ICT infrastructure was instrumental in ensuring efficient flight planning, filing and approving flight plans and assisting air traffic controllers to be able to accurately direct and handle all landings, take-offs and ground traffic.

Air traffic controllers use the interconnected aviation infrastructure to monitor the aircraft and give instructions to the pilot, handing over to the next airspace region. Using ICTs also enhances the checking and clearing of travel documents like passports, which are designed to be machine-readable in line with the advanced passenger information recording systems.

“For security reasons, it is a requirement by ICAO that airlines provide details about their passengers before they travel. Zimbabwe is establishing an Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) to enhance passenger facilitation and security to combat terrorism and smuggling, as well as achieving compliance with ICAO Standards,” said Dr Chingosho.

He said benefits of API/PNR include; enhanced security in fighting terrorism and smuggling, enhanced inter-agency cooperation, improved passenger facilitation and efficiency to airlines.

Given that the aviation industry emits harmful substances such as CO2 that negatively affects the environment, Dr Chingosho said Zimbabwe is among the world leaders in the production of sustainable fuels namely ethanol and biodiesel. 

At Green Fuel, the country produces ethanol from sugarcane and has adequate infrastructure and expertise for biodiesel production at Finealt Engineering in Mt Hampden and a plant in Mutoko.

Experts have tipped Zimbabwe to leverage these unique capabilities to be among the world leaders in the production of sustainable aviation fuels, which promise to provide the largest mitigation impact on climate change.