AIR Zimbabwe on Friday had to charter an InterAir plane from South Africa to fly passengers from Harare to Bulawayo after failing to provide its own plane, causing a five-hour delay.
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A passenger related his ordeal to Southern Eye on Saturday saying they only flew out of the capital at 10.45am instead of the scheduled time of 6am.
“When we arrived at the airport, there was no AirZim plane on the runaway. We were supposed to fly at 6am, but the airline’s staff advised us that the plane would delay by an hour, but kept on extending the time without telling us what was the problem,” the passenger said.
“We were delayed for about five hours and had to board an InterAir plane which had arrived from South Africa at 10.45am arriving in Bulawayo at about 11.30am.
“That’s when the Bulawayo passengers, who were supposed to travel to Harare, boarded the same plane back to the capital.”
AirZim spokesperson Shingi Taruvinga-Dliwayo could not be reached for comment as her mobile phone was unreachable.
The latest incident came a week after the airline had a mid-air scare when the landing gear of its traditional Boeing 737 which plies the Harare–Bulawayo route developed a mechanical fault.
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The plane was forced to make a mid-air U-turn to the Harare International Airport a few minutes after take-off, leaving Bulawayo passengers stranded.
Passengers, who were supposed to board the Boeing 737 AirZim plane at 8.15am to Harare, were forced to wait for three hours when an MA60 plane arrived from Harare and flew them to the capital.
