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Nyemudzai kakore Herald Correspondent
AN Air Zimbabwe MA60 airliner travelling from Harare to Kariba yesterday failed to land in the resort town following extremely high temperatures which exceeded the prescribed 40 degrees Celsius required for landing and take-off purposes, forcing it to return to Harare with its passengers.

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The airliner was forced to divert its scheduled route and landed in Victoria Falls where temperatures were favourable.

The aircraft, with a carrying capacity of 52, was carrying 18 passengers.

Passengers who were scheduled to land in Kariba at around 10am endured long hours of waiting while in Victoria Falls hoping the temperatures would fall to acceptable levels.

Airzim passenger and cargo general manager Mr Chris Kwenda confirmed the development, saying the captain of the aircraft had to fly past Kariba because of security risks involved.

He also said the MA60 had safely landed in Harare and plans were underway to ferry the passengers to Kariba by road.

He said such high temperatures could cause bursting of tyres and the malfunctioning of the engine upon landing or take-off.

“Air Zimbabwe MA60, a scheduled flight to Kariba, today failed to land and take-off in Kariba because of the high temperatures we experienced because of the heat wave,” he said.

“There are prescribed temperatures the aircraft should not operate under. We made a decision to fly past Kariba and landed in Victoria Falls as the temperatures exceeded the prescribed 40 degrees Celsius that our aircrafts are allowed to operate under.

According to the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) website, Kariba recorded maximum temperatures of 43 degress Celsius with Victoria Falls recording 41 degrees Celsius.

“We proceeded with passengers to Victoria Falls hoping that by late afternoon, the temperatures could have dropped to the acceptable levels but by 3pm, the temperatures were too high,” said Mr Kwenda.

Mr Kwenda said because of the continued effects of heat waves posed by climate change, the airliner could be forced to introduce different timetables.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and see how best we can service the Kariba destination. Other alternatives could mean shifting the landing and taking off times in Kariba,” said Mr Kwenda.

Last week, the country recorded high temperatures that broke the record which was set 60 years ago.

The heat wave swept across some parts of the country with the MSD saying temperatures recorded so far averaged between 33 and 43 degrees Celsius nationwide, while the highest temperatures documented in the past 60 years ranged between 35 and 41 degrees Celsius.