British Airways stops Harare-London flights

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By Staff Reporter

BRITISH Airways (BA) is ending its three-days-a-week direct flights to Zimbabwe, it was announced Wednesday.

The service will stop on October 28 this year.

BA is currently the only European carrier that flies to Harare, with three flights a week leaving from Heathrow Airport.

Observers said although the airline insists that the decision is for "commercial reasons" and not a boycott of President Robert Mugabe's regime, the step is likely to increase the isolation of Zimbabwe's ruler.

It is thought the BA pullout could also encourage other British businesses to review their links with the Southern African country, which has seen inflation rocket to 6600% per cent.

A spokesman said BA would continue to serve Harare, however, through a flight routed via Johannesburg.

The Johannesburg-Harare leg will be operated by franchise partner airline Comair which flies in BA colours. The spokesman said one factor behind the high cost of direct flights from the UK to Harare is that jet fuel is not available in Zimbabwe, forcing airlines to truck it in from South Africa.

British Airways said the move was part of a shakeup of its network. It also announced it was boosting U.S. flights for next summer as market liberalisation looms under the EU-U.S. Open Skies treaty due to take effect in March.

Its changes also include a surprise termination to flights to Detroit from March 30, 2008, where BA said profits had fallen. - Staff Reporter/Reuters
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