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our local airline would claim since it has been weighed down by debt to an extent it can only fly within our borders, and even then providing limited connec­tivity on certain days of the week.
The coming in of foreign airlines is a sure sign that there is business in Zim­babwe with several others having launched flights into the country this year and more expressing intentions of doing so soon. 
We welcome the new airlines and hope that their coming in would lead to com­petition and result in improved service to the travelling public, not to mention a reduction in fares.
Among airlines flying into the country are African ones, an indication that Airzim has a viable model within the continent. 
Ethiopian Airlines, Kenyan Airlines and now Mozambican airlines have expanded their routes and now have flights into Zimbabwe. 
A Tanzanian airline is waiting on the wings having expressed its willingness to launch flights into the country this year.
There are now 14 foreign airlines fly­ing into Zimbabwe and this augurs well for our tourism and should improve our connectivity to major cities. 
However, though our tourism sector stands to benefit from more travellers coming into the country, it is worrying that our airline is limping badly at a time when regional airlines are gaining a foothold in the Zimbabwean market.
There is no better time than now to work on Airzim resuscitation strategies so that the airline could also benefit from the expected increase in tourist arrivals around the United Nations World Tourism Organisation general assembly next year. 
If Airzim is not back on the regional and international skies, the UNWTO conference would be like a party that has been boycotted by the host.
The issues that have held back Airzim are known and they include its huge debt, overstaffing and a lack of aircraft. 
The airline needs a turnaround strat­egy before fresh capital is injected and it would seem the route that other regional airlines have taken could be a viable option. 
This would entail the national airline going into partnership with another air­line to restart its operations without the burden of raising capital on its own.
It is against this background that we would like to call on the Government to ensure that Airzim concludes the process of seeking a partner and takes to the skies sooner rather than later since other airlines are building their capacity and their competitive edge at the expense of Airzim. 
As a country, we should have an official carrier even for visitors to the UNWTO, since our pride is at stake. 
We do not have to re-invent the wheel since there are already viable models of airlines that have been turned around with the assistance of established air­lines.  
We believe Airzim deserves that opportunity of turning a new leaf and feeding off the rebound of the tourism sector.