Online Reporter
AT a time when many of his fellow football administrators are focussed on the ZIFA elections, former Dynamos chairman Patson Moyo is leading a company which has just secured a three-year air service permit and plans to launch passenger and cargo flights to various destinations, including London.
The company also plans to develop a cargo hub at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.
The company’s ambitious plans include the establishment of a cargo terminal with hangars and cold storage facilities on 110 hectares adjacent to the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.
The plans also include an upscale airport hotel, shopping mall, and residential housing in the Arlington area near the airport. Moyo is the co-owner and CEO at Transvaal Africa Airlines.
The airline will be a subsidiary of Transvaal Africa, which was founded in 2022, and is registered in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The company has interest in agriculture, logistics and construction.
Moyo’s previous high-profile public post was at Dynamos where he was club chairman before he left amid another explosion of perennial internal squabbles in December 2009.
What DeMbare lost could be a gain for the country’s aviation industry with Moyo playing a leading role at Transvaal Africa Airlines which plans to shake up the domestic aviation industry.
Moyo describes himself on Linkedin as a “highly qualified and experienced professional with a diverse background in engineering, management, and business administration.”
He says with “extensive leadership experience across various sectors including mining, infrastructure, engineering, transportation, and logistics, he has demonstrated expertise in strategic planning, business development, and operational management.”
Moyo says his “tenure in key executive roles highlights his ability to lead and drive growth in dynamic and challenging environments.”
He said Transvaal Africa Airlines is working to finalise certification to launch passenger and cargo flights with three leased Boeing aircraft by the end of the last quarter of this year.
The company is expected to lease Air Zimbabwe’s two B777-200ERs and will also use a B737 BCF freighter.
“We have signed with Boeing for our airline start-up process. We also have an arrangement with the Government for the leasing of the two Boeing 777-200ERs, which are in storage with Air Zimbabwe, which has resulted in the government issuing us with an air service permit,” Moyo told CH-Aviation, a subscription-based intelligence platform that commercial and business aviation industry leaders such as Airbus, AerCap, CAE, Air Charter Service, Delta Airlines, AAR, and Vinci Airports use to make informed decisions..
“We are also working with Boeing and our financial partners for the acquisition of a Boeing 737 freighter. We are now working on the air operator’s certificate while finalising the local incorporation of the subsidiary Transvaal Africa Airlines.”
Moyo said another subsidiary would be established in Dubai to facilitate dealings with Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), which is setting up the aviation fuel facilities at the planned cargo terminal.
Co-owner and aviation division head, Patrick Chiwandire, is a pilot with 30 years of experience, while the third co-owner, Nomvuyo Dube, is a Zimbabwean businesswoman. – CH-Aviation/H-Metro Reporter
Abel Ndooka
