Air Zimbabwe hit by skills flight

Air Zimbabwe hostesses

Published: 28 April 2014

Embattled national airline, Air Zimbabwe is faced with a potentially crippling skills flight of key aircraft technicians, engineers and pilots.

Impeccable sources at the airline said regional and international airlines were jostling to recruit the frustrated, but highly competent personnel of the airline. One of the airlines, Emirates, is on an aggressive recruitment drive and is reportedly wooing Air Zimbabwe's key staff.

Over 40 key staff were interviewed by Emirates in Johannesburg last month in a bid to fill vacancies that has arisen within the company.

"Of the lot that were interviewed last month, 24 were shortlisted and are expected to leave the national airline anytime from now," one of the sources said.

Efforts to get a comment from Air Zimbabwe public relations manager Shingai Taruvinga were unsuccessful at the time of going to the press as her mobile phone went unanswered.

A senior manager at AirZim who spoke on condition of anonymity said the airline was fully aware of the threat by Emirates and other regional airlines.

"We know of the Emirates issue. It's an issue that is affecting the whole region, not Zimbabwe alone. South Africa lost a couple of pilots and technician to Australia and New Zealand.

"Emirates interviewed lots of people from the region, not Zimbabwe only. We will be affected if they are to take our staff, but we will survive.

"Skills flight is a problem that we have been facing since 2000," he said.

The airline has been battling to remunerate its workers and owes workers $40 million in unpaid salaries.
- Zim Mail

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