AIR Zimbabwe has taken delivery of two Airbus aircraft and is battling to comply with international safety standards in order to resume regional flights by the end of the month.

The airline was last month suspended from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and must comply with global safety standards by November 30 or risk an indefinite ban from using international airports and air spaces.

Chief Executive  Innocent Mavhunga told state radio that the airline’s engineers were working with experts from Trinidad and Tobago adding he was confident the IATA requirements would be met by the end of October.

Air Zimbabwe is presently offering a limited domestic service, having pulled out of international routes after creditors seized its aircraft in Johannesburg and London last December over unpaid debts.

The government, which wholly owns the company, has since agreed to take over the debts which are estimated at more than US$100 million.

But cabinet has demanded that the airline trim its bloated workforce among a raft of measures aimed at helping the company return to viability.

Transport Minister Nicholas Goche recently conceded that efforts to find a technical partner for the airline were had been undermined by its financial problems and poor international image.