AIR Zimbabwe has requested US$500 million from the government -- its sole shareholder -- to buy four new planes, officials said.
Airline chairman Jonathan Kadzura said the national carrier wanted to buy two jets for regional routes and two long-haul aircraft to beef up its current fleet made up of 30-year-old planes.
He said the existing fleet was not viable to operate in terms of fuel consumption and costly regular servicing.
"We have taken our request for capital to the shareholder and we are still awaiting a response. We need to get two regional planes and two long-haul planes," he said.
"That could cost half a billion dollars," said Kadzura.
Air Zimbabwe flies to many regional routes in southern Africa, and internationally to the United Arab Emirates, China and the United Kingdom. But it is severely cash-strapped and unable to even pay its staff.
Last week, its pilots went on strike over pay, the latest in a series, as its chief executive officer Peter Chikumba announced he was leaving.
In September, the state-run Sunday Mail newspaper reported that Air Zimbabwe had placed an order for two Airbus A340-200 aircraft at a cost of US$400 million. The airline denied making the order at the time.
Air Zimbabwe currently flies two Boeing B767-200s, three B737-200s and three Chinese Xian MA 60 turboprops.