Eswatini Airways readies to ply Zimbabwe route

ZIMBABWE’S Open Skies Policy, which enhances the country’s attractiveness to potential investment and tourism is gaining momentum with the Royal Eswatini National Airways Corporation (RENAC) announcing it would soon fly into Zimbabwe.

In a statement, the airline said it has received its Foreign Operator Permit(FOP) for Zimbabwe and is awaiting another for South Africa.

“Since the approval of our Air Operator Certificate (AOC), several preparatory and post-AOC actions have been initiated. We have made tremendous progress in securing the necessary documentation to operate to the different destinations we will be flying to.

“So far, we have revived our Foreign Operator Permit (FOP) for Zimbabwe, and the FOP for South Africa is in the process. We expect to have everything regarding that smoothed out,” reads part of the statement from the airline.

The airline said following the allocation of airline codes by the International Air Transport Association and by the International Civil Aviation Organisation used for airline identification, it has applied landing and departure slots at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.

“As soon as these outstanding matters are cleared, our system will be updated and we will publish our schedules and pricing to allow us to commence trade and flying passengers to the different destinations,” it added.

The airline envisages taking to the skies at the beginning of the next IATA season, which begins on 26 March.

When Zimbabwe’s Second Republic came into being in 2017, just three airlines were utilising the country’s airspace. Now over 18 airlines are now flying into the country.

The Government has vowed to upscale momentum through enhancing aviation infrastructure modernisation in line with global standards.-chronicle.co.zw