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It was my first time to fly on Airzim since it took back to the skies a few months ago.

I was pleasantly surprised because I had expected mediocre service given the negative reports that have been churned out about the airline and the challenges that often find space in the media.

I somehow got the feeling that staff at Airzim are going out of their way to ensure that things work and business gets back to normal.
Airzim had become synonymous with mediocrity, be it the quality of in- flight service or flight delays and even cancellations in some instances, but everything was smooth on this flight.

The flight captain’s voice also oozed confidence as he welcomed us and gave us details on the altitude and the stuff that captains routinely share with passengers.
Noticeably, some efforts are being put towards restoring the national carrier to its former glory.

I must hasten to say that this will not be a stroll in the park but a lot of effort needs to be applied toward bringing back a semblance of pride in our national airline.
For long the airline has made headlines for the wrong reasons and certainly it would not have gotten any worse than threats of having its planes impounded for failure to settle its debts.

So much has been going wrong for the airline and this column has elucidated the nature and form of the problems, which I shall not dwell on presently.
We all know that the airline is in a very unhealthy state with all the debts it’s saddled with and fights with former workers which have only compounded the situation.

While opinion on the future of Airzim has been diverse, indications so far are that the airline is certainly not beyond redemption.
Developments over the past few months show that the airline has progressed steadily from servicing local routes only initially to a situation where it now has daily flights to Johannesburg from a few times per week.

This to me shows that with the right strategy and desire from authorities, the national airline can become the pride of Zimbabwe again.
Solutions have been proffered on what needs to be done and I am sure the board is presently seized with turning the airline around.

They certainly need all the support they can get from Government and all it’s local and international partners.
Moreso, it needs the support of every Zimbabwean traveller. I know of many people who will not even consider flying on the national carrier because it feels more elitist and fashionable to be on other airlines, particularly on the Harare-Johannesburg route where such airlines as South African Airways and British Airways operated by Comair also ply.

Of course, that the beauty about competition. It is survival of the fittest! But we need to think again.
Would it not be the right thing to do for local travellers to increasingly support Airzim on the routes in which it is flying?

Would a fundamental shift in attitude towards Airzim not help the airline in its attempt to reclaim its market share?
What if all Government officials that ply the Harare-Joburg route were to deliberately choose to fly on Airzim?

Would we not witness a quicker and less painful turnaround of the airline? We know that dozens of Government officials shuttle between Joburg and Harare every week.
In such countries as Malaysia this is actually the norm. If you are a Government official it’s a given that you use the national carrier. Certainly, Airzim could use such support.

Even the private sector, which understands the need to have a viable national airline, should also be persuaded, if not obliged to support efforts to restore Airzim.
The benefits of a viable national airline to our economy cannot be overemphasised. Of course, it is a matter of choice, which airline one decides to be on but the sense of patriotism should compel Zimbabwean travellers to support their own.

Am I saying that the other airlines should fold or abandon the routes? Not at all. These still have other routes on which Airzim does not ply.
I am sure most of the airlines have in the past year or so capitalised on Airzim’s prolonged stay in the sick bay.

They need to also help their compatriot regain its strength to allow fair competition.
They have made a killing but maybe it’s payback time. On its part, Airzim needs to continue to aggressively pursue ways to improve its operations and give customers the best service possible despite the circumstances it finds itself in.

It must quickly abandon the “tradition of scaring” mantra and go back to its tradition of caring bit that made it an envy of many an airline, years ago.
The board must do that which needs to be done and where the national airline is concerned, we are expecting results yesterday.

Airzim needs to reclaim its London, China and other routes but presently it does not have the capacity to do so.
Better support by the travelling public will certainly go some way in making it possible for the airline to expand its territory.

In a few months Zimbabwe will be hosting the UNWTO General Assembly and it would be a tragedy were Airzim to play a spectator role as other airlines capitalise on the huge traffic flow anticipated.

What is required is a holistic approach to the situation and the airline should be seen to be making deliberate efforts to ensure it will be in better stead come August when the UNWTO meeting is slated.

We are watching developments closely and I know, given the feedback, readers are also eager to see what happens at Airzim in the next few weeks.
August is only three months away and between now and then, we should see a different culture and work ethos at the airline.

The passion to deliver appears to be there, given statements by the new board chairman and members of his management team but we want to see action, action and more action.

Globally, airlines are generally finding the going tough. SAA, for instance, is singing the blues.
Its books are not exciting and its boardroom struggles and management squabbles tell a story that things are not in order.

This, however, should not make Airzim find comfort in mediocrity but should give it a greater resolve to beat the odds and emerge stronger.
SAA continues to fly and is increasing its routes.  So should Airzim! Let’s rally behind our national carrier. They say the greatest glory consists not in never falling but in rising each time we fall!

In God I trust!

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