Air Zimbabwe spokesperson David Mwenga said the fare increases range from 37% to more than 200% depending on the route, but when asked to justify the hikes, Mwenga said: “Everything is going up. The new fare is a token increase.”

He could not provide a schedule of the increases for each route, but said the Dubai route is one of those that have a hike of more than 200%.

AirZim affected a hike of an average 168% on fares in March and 100% in February to keep pace with Zimbabwe's galloping inflation which the last government statistics put at 1700%.

The government has indefinitely postponed releasing the latest inflation figures. The fare hikes are likely to become more regular, tracking the foreign currency parallel market.

Last month, Air Zimbabwe said it had launched an ambitious plan dubbed “equator South plus Ethiopia", seeking a bigger market share on air travellers in sub-Saharan Africa. The plan saw the reintroduction of flights to the Angolan capital Luanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The latest increase follows just a month after an earlier fare hike, which averaged 168%. Prior to this latest fare hike, an economy class return ticket to Johannesburg cost Z$1.9 million, while an economy class return ticket Harare-Bulawayo cost Z$178 000.

Article by courtesy newzimbabwe.com

[26 Apr 2007 11:33]

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