Fastjet Zimbabwe is to commence air services to two new domestic leisure destinations – Kariba and Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe – by late March 2023.

The airline’s new services from Harare and Victoria Falls to Kariba Airport and Hwange National Park Airport will offer seamless connections for travellers to two of Zimbabwe’s top domestic tourism destinations, with scheduled flight connections using Embraer E120, 30-seat turboprop aircraft.

Fastjet Zimbabwe spokesperson, Nunurai Ndawana, said: “We continue to demonstrate our commitment to the growth of tourism and the sustainability of air services in the markets we serve.

“The Embraer E120 is a robust turboprop aircraft designed for domestic operations, offering customers a pressurised cabin with spacious leg-room and overhead baggage space. We intend to align our timings to schedule our flights in such a way that we offer customers the flexibility and convenience of multiple frequencies per day.”

Close collaboration

Vivian Ruwuya, fastjet Zimbabwe’s Chief Commercial Officer, noted that by working closely with industry stakeholders and partners, including Airports Company of Zimbabwe and the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe, fastjet continues to explore ways to further develop the country’s domestic flight network.

“We are delighted to announce that our new flights to Hwange and Kariba from our tourism hub of Victoria Falls and our Harare base will be supported with onward connections on Mack Air/South West Aviation into the Hwange National Park, the lodges of the Kariba eastern basin and the camps and operations in Mana Pools and the lower Zambezi.”

Ruwuya pointed out that Mack Air, in conjunction with South West Aviation, would be developing a new hub at Kariba – along with its existing hubs in Victoria Falls and Harare – to support these connections to and from fastjet’s services.

“The introduction of flights to Kariba and Hwange now allows visitors to Victoria Falls to explore the wonders of Zimbabwe further by visiting both Hwange National Park and enjoying some time on the lake in Kariba with its varied activities of game viewing, boating and fishing,” she said.

Kariba and Hwange will add to fastjet’s domestic destinations of Harare, Bulawayo, and Victoria Falls, as well as provide straightforward connectivity for international customers flying in from Johannesburg via Victoria Falls to and from Kariba. The new flights will be available for booking via the fastjet website, app and usual online trade portals in the coming days.

Victoria Falls (VFA) and Kariba (KAB) – beginning March 27

• VFA-KAB FN6204 departs 13h30 arrives 14h30 (daily).
• KAB-VFA FN6203 departs 10h20 arrives 11h30 (daily).

Victoria Falls (VFA) and Hwange National Park (HWN) – beginning March 27

• VFA-HWN FN6206 departs 10h30 arrives 11h55 (daily).
• HWN-VFA FN6205 departs 11h30 arrives 12h55 (daily).

Harare (HRE) and Kariba (KAB) – beginning March 27

• HRE-KAB FN6201 departs 09h00 arrives 09h50 (daily).
• KAB-HRE FN6202 departs 15h00 arrives 15h50 (daily).

Harare (HRE) and Hwange National Park (HWN) – beginning March 27

• HRE-HWN FN8001 connecting with FN6206 VFA-HWN departs 08h40 arrives 10h55 (One stop, daily).
• HWN-HRE FN6205 connecting with FN8004 VFA-HRE departs 11h30 arrives 16h05 (One stop, daily).