KLM set to help Air Zimbabwe
2012-11-06 11:43
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2012-11-02 09:12
Air Zim is taking the civil aviation authority to court after a plane ploughed through wild pigs on the runway. Watch.WATCH
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, is ready to co-operate with Air Zimbabwe in a massive boost for the national flag carrier struggling to find friends in the skies.
eTN reports that Pieter Bootsma, KLM executive vice-president of marketing, revenue management and network, told stakeholders that the airline stands ready to help once Air Zimbabwe is back in the skies.
Air Zimbabwe resumed domestic flights last week while international flights took off on Sunday.
"If Air Zimbabwe is back in the air, we are ready to co-operate with it. We are ready to find synergies between our two airlines and see how we can grow the market jointly.
"We believe in strategic partnerships. We believe in connections. We believe in friendships, which is one of the true values of KLM," Bootsma said.
KLM resumed flights to Zimbabwe last Monday after 13 years and will fly into the country three times a week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
It would also offer 11 weekly flights to Harare via Nairobi in partnership with Kenya Airways.
Bootsma said partnerships would drive the airline forward, adding that its partnership with Kenya Airways had created a hub in East Africa.
Other airlines flying to Zimbabwe have raised concern about the high-landing fees charged by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe.
Bootsma said high fees would be a major determinant on whether or not it increases direct flights to Zimbabwe.
