from DANIEL JONES in Hwange, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Bureau
HWANGE, (CAJ News) – FASTJET, Zimbabwe’ low cost airline, has launched its inaugural flight linking the country and neighbouring Botswana.
The service links the countries’ tourism capitals, Victoria Falls and Maun respectively.
The route will operate on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
It increases Victoria Falls connectivity to the region and allows visitors ease of travel when exploring the region’s top attractions
“We are thrilled to launch a scheduled service to Maun in Botswana from our ever-growing Victoria Falls tourism hub,” Fastjet spokesperson, Nunurai Ndawana, said.
“We continue to strengthen Victoria Falls as a regional tourism hub and the introduction of this new flight service four times a week will connect two of Southern Africa’s most sought-after destinations, the Victoria Falls and the Okavango Delta with a reliable scheduled air service,” Ndawana said.
To launch the inaugural service, the aircraft departed Victoria Falls Thursday mid-morning going to Maun with chartered clients.
Vivian Ruwuya, the airline’s Chief Commercial Officer, said to ensure the sustainable development of the route, Fastjet would use a dual fleet model of Embraer ERJ145 aircraft and Cessna Grand Caravan 208B.
“Both aircraft are known for their ability to provide the versatility to build a sustainable regional network with their right-size capacity,” Ruwuya said.
Winnie Muchanyuka, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority Chief Executive Officer, said the new service is a welcome development as it connects the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.
“It offers us as a region a platform to collaborate and enhance our tourism product,” she said.
A few months ago, Fastjet launched the flight between Victoria Falls and the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) in neighbouring South Africa.
It is flying three times a week.
Locally, Fastjet connects the major cities of Bulawayo, the capital Harare and Victoria Falls.
Fastjet began operations in 2012.
Other airlines currently flying into Victoria Falls are Air Zimbabwe, SA Airlink, Kenyan Airways and MackAir.
– CAJ News