Zimbabwe: Over 1,400 Passengers Already Booked Seats On Air Zimbabwe's New Harare-London Direct Flight - Govt Says

What the report says

AllAfrica, carrying a New Zimbabwe report dated 21 July 2026, says Zimbabwe’s Transport minister Felix Mhona announced that 1,479 passengers had already reserved seats for Air Zimbabwe’s revived direct service between Harare and London. Mhona spoke at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport while receiving a 302-seat Airbus A330-300 aircraft assigned to the route.

According to the report, the first service is scheduled for 22 July, with the aircraft expected to arrive at London Gatwick on 23 July. The route marks Air Zimbabwe’s return to London after about 15 years. The airline plans three weekly departures from Harare on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with return flights from London on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The aircraft configuration is listed as 30 business-class seats and 272 economy seats.

The report says cargo demand has also been booked for the new connection, though it gives differing figures: it first cites 30 tonnes, while Mhona is quoted as saying more than 40 tonnes had been confirmed. The aircraft was obtained through a 13-month wet lease, under which Spanish carrier Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas is to provide the plane, crew, maintenance and insurance.

New Zimbabwe links the route’s revival to recent investment through the Mutapa Investment Fund, led by John Mangudya, after earlier efforts to rebuild the national carrier struggled. The development matters because a direct UK link could improve travel options for Zimbabweans abroad, support cargo movement and give tourism and business travel a more direct channel between Zimbabwe and a major European market.