Air Zimbabwe Boeing 747
Air Zimbabwe came into existence in 1980, changing its name from Air Rhodesia to reflect the name change of Zimbabwe itself. It inherited Air Rhodesia’s fleet of Boeing 707s and 720s, as well as Vickers Viscounts. It expanded its fleet and domestic services in 1982, when it took over regional carrier Affretair. In the same year, it adopted a new livery, further moving away from Air Rhodesia. Throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, Air Zimbabwe operated a modest network of domestic and international services, gradually modernizing its services and entering into a partnership with Qantas to fly routes between Zimbabwe and Australia.
As Zimbabwe’s economic woes worsened under President Robert Mugabe’s regime, Air Zimbabwe also began to suffer. By 2002, the airline was in considerable trouble. It was unable to cover its debts, tourism to Zimbabwe had plummeted, and hyperinflation set in, rendering the nation’s currency worthless. Unable to obtain foreign currency to pay for fuel or spare parts, and fighting a reputation as the “world’s most dangerous airline,” Air Zimbabwe underwent a period of groundings and suspension of services beginning in 2005 to the present day. As of this writing, Air Zimbabwe still exists and intermittently provides services, but its future is very cloudy.
This 747 shows Air Zimbabwe's livery adopted in 1982. It has since adopted a "Eurowhite" scheme with a different tail logo.
Air Zimbabwe Boeing 747
Air Zimbabwe came into existence in 1980, changing its name from Air Rhodesia to reflect the name change of Zimbabwe itself. It inherited Air Rhodesia’s fleet of Boeing 707s and 720s, as well as Vickers Viscounts. It expanded its fleet and domestic services in 1982, when it took over regional carrier Affretair. In the same year, it adopted a new livery, further moving away from Air Rhodesia. Throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, Air Zimbabwe operated a modest network of domestic and international services, gradually modernizing its services and entering into a partnership with Qantas to fly routes between Zimbabwe and Australia.
As Zimbabwe’s economic woes worsened under President Robert Mugabe’s regime, Air Zimbabwe also began to suffer. By 2002, the airline was in considerable trouble. It was unable to cover its debts, tourism to Zimbabwe had plummeted, and hyperinflation set in, rendering the nation’s currency worthless. Unable to obtain foreign currency to pay for fuel or spare parts, and fighting a reputation as the “world’s most dangerous airline,” Air Zimbabwe underwent a period of groundings and suspension of services beginning in 2005 to the present day. As of this writing, Air Zimbabwe still exists and intermittently provides services, but its future is very cloudy.
This 747 shows Air Zimbabwe's livery adopted in 1982. It has since adopted a "Eurowhite" scheme with a different tail logo.