Newly licensed private airline Sol Air has been issued a code which is used to identify an airline for all commercial purposes globally. Known as the International Air Transport Association Accounting Prefix, it is a prerequisite for all airlines. Sol Air managing director Mr Nkosilathi Sibanda said the code was an integral part of the travel industry, and essential for the

recognition of an airline, its destinations and its traffic documents.

“We have been granted an IATA Accounting Prefix which will enable all our transactions to be safeguarded. We will be receiving the code today.
“International travel agents will be able to make arrangements for our customers and banks can also make payment guarantees in the event that the agents fail to pay us in time,” he said.

Mr Sibanda said the airline could also make transactions using the code.
“We can make any payments using the code, be it hotels, fuel or any other we want,” he said.
He said the accounting prefix was also used in reservations, timetables, tickets, tariffs, air waybills, schedules publications and in airline interline telecommunications.

“Passengers from any part of the world can book with us. Even international airlines like Emirates can also arrange with us for domestic flights,” he said. The Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe licensed Sol Air in February this year to become the country’s third private airline.
Others are Solenta Aviation, which operates scheduled and non-scheduled services linking Harare, Kariba and Victoria Falls and a cargo carrier, Avient Aviation.

Meanwhile, Mr Sibanda said the airline was still waiting for permission from the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Infrastructure Development to start flying.
“We have since written to them advising them of our preparedness and we are now waiting for a response,” he said.

“Next week we will be signing a lease agreement for a 90-seater CRJ 900 aircraft with a United States of America firm. We have changed plans from the 70-seater aircraft.”

Over the years a number of private airlines have attempted and failed to take off and maintain operations in Zimbabwe. These include Zambezi Express Airlines, Mannock Holdings, Mekias Aviation, Alliance Air and recently Fly Kumba, Nu-Aero and Vic Falls Airways. — New Ziana.