In 1980 when Air Zimbabwe was established, there was great hope that it would prosper, especially since it was going to operate in a global atmosphere without the restrictions of economic sanctions that had constrained its predecessor, Rhodesia Airways. In the first few years, Air Zimbabwe expanded its services, replaced old aircraft with newer and more fuel-efficient state-of-the-art aeroplanes. By the mid-1980s however, the airline had started to lose money and continued to do so for the rest of the decade, necessitating hefty subsidies from the government. This article traces the development of Air Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1990 and attempts to analyze the reasons behind the airline's disappointing performance. It suggests that the failure of the airline to operate as a viable commercial enterprise was a result of both internal weaknesses of the airline's administration and restrictive government policies, as well as a generally difficult global economic climate.
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