AirZim defers flights as pilot strike bites

Comment & Analysis
BY NDAMU SANDU   AIR Zimbabwe has resolved to postpone all flights until tomorrow as the troubled airline struggles to contain a crippling strike by pilots.

A meeting between management and pilots yesterday failed to resolve the impasse. Management was left with no option other than to reschedule the flights to tomorrow.

 

Passengers affected are those who had booked on the two long haul flights, Harare-Beijing and Harare-Gatwick and those booked on Harare-Johannesburg and return and domestic flights.

 

AirZim acting group CEO Innocent Mavhunga confirmed yesterday that the meeting had not yielded the desired results.

 

“The pilots are still on strike. We have already advised our clients and we are hoping that by Monday we would have resolved the impasse,” Mavhunga said.

 

The ongoing strike will further worsen the airline’s cash- flow problems and damage the brand. This is the fourth strike since January. In January pilots went on strike demanding to be paid taheir outstanding salaries and allowances. They returned to work after the airline said they would look into the issue.

 

Pilots at AirZim went on strike on March 22 demanding their outstanding salaries.

 

They resumed work on April 22 after the Ministry of Transport bailed out the airline by providing US$3,8 million.

 

Efforts to obtain a comment from Jonathan Kadzura, the airline’s chairman were fruitless.