Airline giant, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, has added Harare and Lusaka, Zambia, as its newest destinations.
The airline will begin operating a service to Harare on October 29.
In a statement issued on Monday, KLM said it would operate the service from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Harare International Airport three times a week.
“KLM sees great growth opportunities in Africa. This year we launched service to Luanda in Angola, Lusaka in Zambia and in 2011 we began serving Kigali in Rwanda.
“This new addition to our network strengthens our position in Africa,” said Erik Varwijk, KLM managing director and executive vice-president of Air France KLM International & The Netherlands.
The airline said it would offer 11 weekly services to Harare via Nairobi in co-operation with Kenya Airways, which is undergoing rapid development in terms of fleet expansion and new destinations.
“Zimbabwe is located in Southern Africa and is a strong growth market with a wide array of natural resources. In addition, Zimbabwe is a great tourist destination,” the airline said.
“The parks and nature reserves at the Mana Pools and Zambezi River are certainly worth a visit, while Lake Kariba, with its unique atmosphere and the magnificent Victoria Falls, are among the best-known attractions.”
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Flight KL523 would be operated with an Airbus A330-200 on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, departing from Schiphol at 10:20am and arriving in Harare on the same day at 2125hrs.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was founded in 1919, making it the world’s oldest airline operating under its original name. In 2004, Air France and KLM merged to form Air France KLM.
The development comes months after another global airline, Emirates, began servicing the Harare-Dubai route in February. Another airline, Air Namibia in May resumed flying into the country after a 13-year absence.
Several international airlines, including Egypt Air, Air France, Lufthansa and Quantas, stopped flights to Zimbabwe because of dwindling passenger numbers as tourists were scared off by political violence and instability.
