LOCAL airline, Fly Kumba, finally launched operations last week with a maiden flight from Johannesburg to Bulawayo.

The airline’s maiden flight was initially pencilled in for last year but that did not take place owing to a number of challenges that included licensing bottlenecks.
The airline will ply the Bulawayo/Johannesburg route on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The Boeing 737 500 series, that is being leased from a Namibian airline, touched down at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Airport shortly after midday on Thursday with 50 passengers on board.
The 108-seat plane took off for the return trip to South Africa an hour later carrying 80 passengers.
The airline’s fees are pegged at R800 or US$100 for the economy class and R1 200 or US$150 for the business class.
Fly Kumba chief executive officer Mr Lloyd Muchaka said: “It was a hard road to this maiden flight but we are now glad to safely say we have taken off.
“This will be our primary route for now and we are geared to become the first low-cost regional airline,” said Mr Muchaka.
He said the plan was to first consolidate the Bulawayo/Johannesburg route and spread to other destinations within the country, South Africa and the region.
Local routes that are earmarked for the future include Harare, Victoria Falls and Kariba while regionally Cape Town and Durban would be among the target destinations.
Mr Muchaka said a low-cost player was needed not only in Zimbabwe, but the region on the back of the global financial crisis which has deeply affected corporates and individuals.
While the low-budget airline concept has been introduced in Zimbabwe for the first time, it has been very popular in South Africa, Europe and the Americas.