AIR Zimbabwe planes are to be given a paint job – replacing the long strip of national colours across the body of its aircraft with a flag livery on the tail.
Air Zimbabwe’s general manager Moses Mapanda said the move was in line with “industry trends”.
Mapanda said Air Zimbabwe planes would now be all white except for the tail area.
"The new outlook follows the industry trends which have seen the likes of Kenyan Airways, South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Air Mauritius, Egypt Air and Air Namibia changing from the traditional stripped livery to the more modern white body with colours on the tail in recent years,” Mapanda said.
"Air Zimbabwe will introduce the new livery in phases as our fleet goes through major maintenance in order to avoid costly unscheduled grounding of aircraft specifically for painting purposes.”
In London, Air Zimbabwe’s general manager for Europe David Mwenga said the airline had carried out consultations among staff and the idea had been “received favourably”.
The first plane to be painted was the airline’s flagship Boeing 767-200 ER, registration number Z-WPF, which flew out of London to Harare on Thursday evening.
Air Zimbabwe said it would also be re-installing an in-flight entertainment system on its two 767s which service long-haul routes.
The airline is also rolling out a new “improved and user friendly website” with an “improved and more efficient internet booking and payment system.”
A new “fly-now-pay-later” credit scheme would also be announced under a frequent flier loyalty programme, Mapanda said.
Air Zimbabwe operates two Boeing 767s for international routes, three 737s for regional and domestic routes and three Xian MA60s on domestic routes.
Make over ... Air Zimbabwe's new look 767