AIR Zimbabwe has appointed an acting chief executive officer following the resignation of Peter Chikumba this month.

Chikumba – whose tenure was characterized by pay disputes with staff and strikes by pilots as well as operational loses -- quit at the start of the month, having served the airline for four years.

In a statement, the airline said Innocent Mavhunga, who was the general manager of National Handling Services (NHS), a subsidiary of Air Zimbabwe, would take over as the acting chief executive.

“The board has also appointed Innocent Mavhunga as the acting chief executive officer with immediate effect. Mavhunga is the substantive general manager of National Handling Services, a subsidiary of Air Zimbabwe,” the statement read.

The airline’s pilots went on strike in September and early December demanding salary increases and improved working conditions.

The parastatal is reportedly losing $2 million every month and has debts of up to $64 million.

Meanwhile, Chikumba has dispelled speculation that President Robert Mugabe’s numerous foreign trips for which he commandeers Air Zimbabwe aircraft were partly responsible for the company’s financial troubles.

Chikumba said Mugabe paid commercial rates for his trips and always gave the airline adequate notice.

“Its nonsensical for anybody to allege that the president doesn’t pay for his trips … every trip that we have had with the President has been paid for,” Chikumba said. “We planned it, we always got a notice.”

Still, he conceded that the airline’s operations were adversely affected when the President extended his charters.

“We cannot do anything about it, neither can he because sometimes when he goes to meetings out of the country which take long than the anticipated time,” he said.

The airline also announced recently that it was looking for US$500 million from the government to replace its ageing fleet.