Fear of aircraft impounding halts Air Zim’s Jo’burg route

Zimbabwe transport and communications minister, Nicholas Goche, last week ordered Air Zimbabwe management to stop flying its aircraft to Johannesburg and to London in the UK. According to an allAfrica.com report, these two routes are apparently pretty vital to the airline’s financial well-being, described as its cash cows. The decision follows two embarrassing episodes in December last year when two of the national airline's planes were impounded at OR Tambo and Gatwick airports. The Boeing 737 that was impounded in Johannesburg was released the same day following negotiations, while it took more than a week to release the long-haul Boeing 767 held at Gatwick airport. Both planes were impounded due to debts that Air Zimbabwe has failed to pay. But the creditors are lurking in the wings, with reports that they are ready in both London and Johannesburg to impound any Air Zimbabwe plane to try to force the financially distressed carrier to honour its debts.