Air Zim plane impounded

By Lance Guma
16 August 2005

Passengers on an Air Zimbabwe flight arriving at Gatwick Airport in the UK were stranded when the plane and its luggage was impounded over unpaid landing fees. Three hours after the flight arrived, passengers were still milling around the airport with many forced to book hotels nearby. Others with connecting flights were forced to cancel them. Air Zimbabwe is alleged to have not even bothered to pay the accommodation bills for those who were inconvenienced by the delay.

Sources close to the incident say the luggage was later released, presumably after behind the scenes negotiations were conducted. A crippling foreign currency shortage has affected most sectors of the economy and it is believed this has left the airline unable to meet its commitments. Air Zim has had a turbulent history of late. Robert Mugabe regularly commandeers planes at great inconvenience to passengers when he makes frequent trips abroad.

Concern is also growing over the safety of most of the aircraft given the lack of foreign currency to purchase spares, and reports of several emergency landings that have been made.