AFTER spending about two hours with Tawanda Gusha (TG), chief executive officer of the Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ), our senior business reporter, Freeman Makopa (FM) gained valuable insights into the strategic repositioning of Zimbabwe’s air traffic infrastructure. Their discussion, detailed below, explores the ambitious project pipeline, including plans to upgrade Charles Prince Airport into an international facility. Below are excerpts of their conversation:
FM: Have you received new applications from airlines interested in introducing services to Zimbabwe?
TG: What happens is that we go out there to aggressively market the destination, together with stakeholders in the tourism industry. Recently, our team attended the AviaDev Africa 2024 in Windhoek, where we engaged with potential airlines, inviting them to consider our destinations.
While it is too early to announce any new airlines, we are in discussions with several global airlines, presenting compelling business cases for flights to Victoria Falls and Robert Gabriel (RG) Mugabe International Airport. The facilities are there. We can handle the aircrafts fairly well.
FM: What other strategic platforms are you considering?
TG: We are making efforts to ensure that we continue to attract new airlines. We also participated in the Air Service World Conference in Maldives. We are also planning on participating in another conference which is going to be taking place in Bahrain later in the year.
We continue to engage the airlines. We continue to have discussions with the airlines. The travel and tourism sector plays a very pivotal role because they would then be giving us leads on which airlines to engage, which airlines to target. We have been working closely as an industry to make sure we have new airlines. When any new signings have been concluded, we will be informing the public.
I appreciate that Fly Namibia started operations not too long ago. And so we expect that to continue with the other new airlines coming on board.
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FM: How are the country's major airports performing?
TG: RG Mugabe International Airport, Joshua Nkomo International Airport and Victoria Falls International Airport are all performing fairly well. As far as the bulk of our traffic is concerned, the major source market remains South Africa, followed by Europe, and then the Americas. This is followed by Asia and the Middle East.
We are seeing steady growth in traffic from these major source markets. We are also seeing the promotion of intra-Africa travel quite a lot, particularly with the current implementation of the single African air transport market, where there are no restrictions to frequencies.
You will find that is the reason why we have so much traffic between RG Mugabe International Airport and OR Tambo International Airport in South Africa, as well as JM Nkomo and OR Tambo.
It is the same with Victoria Falls International Airport and OR. We are also seeing an increase in traffic between airports and the other airports in South Africa, outside OR Tambo. We are seeing an increase in traffic between our airports and Nairobi, Kigali in Rwanda and other major destinations like Addis Abba in Ethiopia.
FM: Are there any destinations you are still looking to recover since the pandemic?
TG: I will probably start by looking at markets that are not served. At the moment, we have West Africa. Connectivity between southern Africa and West Africa is a challenge. We are looking at airlines that are both in southern Africa and West Africa to see how best we can stimulate travel between those destinations.
We are also looking at airlines that are currently operating and seeing how best we can work together and collaborate to make sure West Africa is served. That is a priority for us. It is a priority because of the single African air transport market like I indicated.
FM: Can this be achieved?
TG: The requirements have become less and less cumbersome because of the single African air transfer market. So it is easier for us to promote travel between destinations within Africa.
But we also wish to see more direct flights between certain destinations, particularly the outcry that is always there between Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe and China. Those remain key destinations that remain unserved. But then there is so much demand for air travel.
I know that it was prior to the pandemic when we lost those routes. But our focus has been to say, let us find ways and means of ensuring that we reintroduce those routes. We are doing what we can on our part to make sure we engage and reintroduce those routes.
FM: Zimbabwe has always had the ambition to create an African hub.
TG: We have a beautiful terminal building, which we have just commissioned. It will be folly for it not to be utilised. We want the terminal building to be fully utilised.
What we intend to do is to continue working in creating it as a hub. We can do that by attracting more and more transcontinental flights to bring the passengers. That is the strategy that we have adopted.
Of course, in terms of the challenges, we still remain, besides the re-engagement, the efforts of the government, we remain under sanctions. We are making sure that we continue to engage with airlines. However, we have been affected by the skills flight.
FM: Why?
TG: We have highly trained aviation professionals. Unfortunately, they are also needed elsewhere by prospective employers with deeper pockets than ours. They are offering them very lucrative packages.
What we are trying to do now is to also ensure that we incentivise our staff so that they weigh the benefits of moving, living, or staying.
One of the key issues that we are pushing for is an employer assisted housing scheme where we will ensure that our employees access housing loans without the need for them to pay very high deposits. That way, we retain our employees. This is among the programmes we are implementing, including wellness programmes and just ensuring that our employees are well looked after.
FM: Can you tell us about the airline traffic?
TG: For this quarter you will find that we were at about 10% more traffic compared to the same period in 2023. We are seeing that steady growth taking place and we expect that to continue until the end of the year and also in the next couple of years. We are seeing Africa as a growth market for travel. Africa is contributing a very insignificant percentage to global travel. It is slightly under 4%. So there is so much room for Africa to expand.
We are not going to be left behind. When it comes to issues to do with cargo, although we still find ourselves in a situation where imports are slightly more than exports, (there has been) activity taking place in the industry. We have seen a couple of freighters that are coming in.
They are not really scheduled freighters but on an ad hoc basis, bringing in various items of cargo. We have seen quite a positive trajectory so far as the aviation industry is concerned.
FM: We understand you are a member of the Airports Council International Africa?
TG: I sit on the Airports Council International Africa board. So, the value is there. You talk of exchange of knowledge, you talk of skills exchange, and you talk of opportunities for training. There are a lot of opportunities.
There is the African Airport Development Programme, which is ensuring that there is capacity development in our airport operations. So definitely there is a lot of value for us being a part of the Airports Council of International. We will continue to actively participate going forward.
You may also want to know that we are focusing our investment on ensuring that we have as much technology as possible. We need to embrace technology as much as possible in our operations.
FM: Your parting shot?
TG: Just to say as the Airports Company of Zimbabwe, we continue to push forward and we are very optimistic that the future is bright. We know that sometimes you do not always find it smooth sailing. But we know that the future is for us to enjoy and I always keep on encouraging the employees to say there is light at the end of the tunnel.
We will be delivering to Zimbabweans the airports that they expect. A decision has recently been made to expand Charles Prince Airport into an international airport, which is much bigger than what it is currently, in line with developments that are taking place in the new city.
FM: How far are you with this project?
TG: Focus is shifting now to Charles Prince. Once the necessary administrative processes are concluded, we will be announcing works for Charles Prince Airport to develop it into an international airport of significance.
We are still pursuing Mutare Airport as a greenfield project. We are still going to be upgrading Masvingo Airport, Buffalo Range Airport, Kariba Airport as well as Hwange National Park Airport. We are not leaving them behind.
But then focus, like I say, is on Charles Prince now, considering the developments that are taking place in Mount Hampden.
