Mugabe grabs AirZim planes for foreign jaunts

Shower and a change of clothes

Harare - President Robert Mugabe this week commandeered an Air Zimbabwe plane to Namibia, keeping it overnight before grabbing another jet for a private visit to Dubai, making the airline lose critical income at a time when it is battling to meet its financial obligations. Mugabe on Tuesday grabbed the national carrier’s Boeing 737 for a Southern African Development Community (SADC) meeting, Air Zimbabwe sources said. Upon arriving at Harare International Airport from the SADC meeting on Wednesday, Mugabe drove his motorcade home reportedly for a shower and change of clothes before grabbing a Boeing 767 for a private visit to Dubai. Sources at Air Zimbabwe and from the President’s office said the Dubai visit was mired in secrecy.

They said Mugabe only took 18 people on the Dubai trip. A Boeing 767 has a capacity of 250 passengers. “Ten of the people were security guys and the other eight close staff. No-one really knows about the purpose of the visit but we think it has to do with a medical check up,” said a source. Mugabe in hospital‎ Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba was not immediately available for comment on the matter. However Air Zimbabwe chief executive Peter Chikumba defended Mugabe, saying it was a chartered flight, but he could not confirm whether the President’s office had paid. “I am not able to confirm that. You can charter an airplane just like anybody but I cannot comment on the President (Mugabe)’s travels. We charge the costs of operating chartered flights. This is happening everywhere,” Chikumba told ZimOnline on Friday. Although no figures were immediately available, sources at Air Zimbabwe said Mugabe’s plane grab would cost the financially troubled airline because scheduled flights had to be cancelled.

This is not the first time that Mugabe has diverted Air Zimbabwe planes from scheduled flights. He often does this whenever he wishes to fly outside the country and sometimes even when he is travelling on personal business – and in the process leaving passengers stranded. Air Zimbabwe was one of the best airlines in Africa at independence in 1980. But years of mismanagement and interference by the government have nearly brought the airline to its knees. The airline’s foreign debt – excluding the US$50 million the airline owes suppliers of Chinese made MA60 it acquired in 2005 – has soared to US$28 million. The national flag carrier has just announced that it will cut 500 jobs – a third of its workforce – because of cash-flow problems. In recent weeks Air Zimbabwe has cancelled scheduled regional and international flights due to shortage of funds to buy fuel.

Most creditors are wary of doing business with Air Zimbabwe because of the state-owned carrier’s bad debt servicing record. This has forced Air Zimbabwe to rely on government handouts to stay afloat. In February, Finance Minister Tendai Biti said the airline was draining US$3 million per week from the fiscus. Starved of cash for re-tooling, Air Zimbabwe uses mostly obsolete technology and equipment while nearly all its planes are between 18 and 22 years old. In addition, the airline pilots and other skilled staff have deserted the airline to go abroad where salaries are higher and working conditions better.