ED hires luxury Swiss plane to China

Source: ED hires luxury Swiss plane to China – DailyNews Live

Fungi Kwaramba      3 April 2018

HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa opted to hire a luxurious private
plane to travel to China, abandoning the struggling national airliner Air
Zimbabwe (AirZim), which has a plane of the same size albeit with no
similar luxurious trappings.

In a cocktail of austerity measures meant to preserve thinning foreign
currency – Mnangagwa’s administration announced early this year that they
were opting for a smaller plane to save money – but this time around when
he travelled to China on a State visit, he used an A/C type B767-200,
registration number P4 CLA, a luxurious plane from Bahrain, owned by
Switzerland-based Comlux Aviation.

Transport and Communication minister Joram Gumbo confirmed to the Daily
News that Mnangagwa had chartered a plane to China but refused to disclose
how much government coughed up.

“That is the standard practice; the charges are the same, so what is wrong
with that?” said Gumbo, who accompanied Mnangagwa on  the trip.

Mnangagwa’s delegation included about 10 ministers and businessmen.

Aviation sources said the plane was way more expensive than using local
planes, which do not have luxurious features found in the plane that
Mnangagwa opted to use in his latest international jaunt.

“There is no way our planes could be same price as the one used to travel
to China. Actually, the Air Zimbabwe plane costs a third of what they paid
for.

“One has to understand that the plane has to come from a faraway location
and then to China, when he returns it will go back to Bahrain and who will
pay for the fuel and crew, obviously the Government of Zimbabwe,” said the
source.

The source said Mnangagwa could have paid more than $1 million for the
plane which has WiFi, among other trappings of luxury.

On its website, Comflux says the plane that Mnangagwa used “offers a
unique and exclusive product to charter for Heads of State, royal
families, and business leaders. Suitable for up to 63 passengers and able
to fly up to 15 hours nonstop, the aircraft allows the principal and his
executives to travel in extreme comfort and privacy, while a spacious
section at the back is dedicated for the entourage and delegation”.

Former president Robert Mugabe used to charter a plane whenever AirZim’s
fleet was grounded.

AirZim’s old fleet comprises two Boeing 767s, three 737s, three MA60s and
two Airbus A320s. However, only four of those are flying: one airbus, one
Boeing 767, one 737 and an MA60.

The debt-ridden flag carrier, which is said to be losing up to $3 million
a month, is saddled with tens of millions in arrears.

Previously, concern was raised over the security and safety of the
chartered planes.

Government sources said distrust still existed among ministers over the
safety of the local planes.

Insiders say Mnangagwa might actually be more alarmed by the state of
local planes which were given a damning assessment by the portfolio
committee on Transport and Infrastructural Development, which reported a
frequent breakdown of radios, and in some cases, pilots resorting to use
of cell phones to communicate with controllers.

The report revealed how basic equipment such as microphones and handsets
are in a sorry state and in short supply with no backup communication
systems in the event of a breakdown of equipment.