| More of the same sad story - except for the last paragraph. |
"The final straw came when smoke was noticed from its engine while preparing to take off to Zambia weeks after the official handing over ceremony," said an Air Zimbabwe senior official who spoke on condition he was not named.
| Shades of Air Ukraine! |
He said: "It (Chinese plane) is not yet in operation. We are still waiting for a spare part from China to fit."
The gift plane had been hoped to bolster debt-ridden Air Zimbabwe's fleet for domestic and regional routes. The loss-making and wholly state-owned airline has in recent months failed to service some routes or delayed passengers because planes could not fly due to a lack of spares or fuel, blamed on an acute shortage of foreign currency to pay foreign suppliers.
For example, Air Zimbabwe last Tuesday had to cancel a flight to Cuba after failing to secure adequate fuel supplies. The Cuba flight was scheduled to leave Harare on Tuesday morning and make a brief stop-over in London before proceeding to Havana. It had been specifically chartered by the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare to fly back home Cuban doctors who had completed their attachments at government hospitals.
