Zimbabwe’s national airline Air Zimbabwe has been included in a recently announced European Union Commission Air Safety List of air carriers that do not fulfill international safety standards.
Air Zimbabwe is burdened by huge debts, owing foreign and domestic creditors more than $300million. In 2019, the airline was suspended by Airports Company SA (Acsa) over nonpayment of airport charges.
The carriers on the ASL are banned from operating to, in and from the EU (including overflight). According the Air Safety List of April 2022, the following 117 air carriers are banned from EU skies:
• 90 airlines certified in 15 different States, due to a lack of safety oversight by the aviation authorities in these States;
• 21 airlines certified in Russia, as well as 6 individual airlines from other States, based on safety concerns identified: Avior Airlines (Venezuela), Blue Wing Airlines (Suriname), Iran Aseman Airlines (Iran), Iraqi Airways (Iraq), Med-View Airlines (Nigeria) and Air Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe).
The Commission said where an airline which is currently included in the Union’s list deems itself to be in conformity with the necessary technical elements and requirements prescribed by the applicable international safety standards, it may request the Commission to commence the procedure for its removal from the list.
Last year the airline resumed flights after a one-and-half year break due to operational challenges and the Covid-19 pandemic. In the past, the airline has been grounded for engine failures and malfunctions.