Egyptair to resume Harare flights

Egyptian airline Egyptair is to resume flights to Harare five months after suspending them citing viability challenges.

An official at the airline's office in Harare confirmed the development to Xinhua Wednesday but could not give further details.

"As far as we know they are not yet resuming their flights," said the official.

Egyptair is one of the few airlines that had returned to Zimbabwe in recent years after leaving the country during the decade of hyperinflation which ended in 2008.

However, the airline's return was short lived, lasting from June 2013 to September 2014 due to viability challenges.

Egyptian ambassador to Zimbabwe Bassem Khalil had indicated in October last year that the flights could resume in December after officials resolve issues affecting viability of the airline's Cairo - Dar es Salaam - Harare route.

The ambassador said the airline's profitability on the route had been affected by a decision by the Tanzanian authorities to bar Egytair from picking up passengers at Dar es Salaam International Airport on its way to and from Harare.

"The Tanzanian authorities did not allow Egyptair to take passengers from Dar es Salaam to Harare or vice versa from Harare to Dar es Salaam so the revenues of the flight went down," he told Xinhua in October.

The pull out by Egyptair was followed by that of KLM Royal Dutch Airline of Netherlands in October last year, with the airline also citing viability challenges.

Currently, 17 foreign airlines are landing at the Harare International Airport, down from a peak of 45 before 2000. Endi