After a very enjoyable Air Zimbabwe B767-200 ride from Johannesburg. I arrived in Harare in the evening. The next day I went back to the airport to fly on their B737-200 classic to Bulawayo.
I didn’t buy ticket in advance till the day of departure to avoid frequent schedule changes or any cancellations. Air Zimbabwe ticket office opens at 5am each day. The Air Zimbabwe B737-200 flies to Bulawayo at 7am, Vic Falls in mid morning and another Bulawayo flight in the evening. Due to aircraft shortage, their B737-200 schedule frequently changed and flights may get merged into one. Therefore, I advise to buy ticket on the day. The flight is usually not full.
I bought the ticket at the ticket office (inside International terminal) for around $180 on a round-trip between Harare and Bulawayo.
Air Zimbabwe domestic flights depart from domestic terminal which seems like an original airport building.
Once air-side, there is a lounge called Dzimbahwe Lounge. I went inside to take a look as there were no attendants in the lounge. I was told Air Zimbabwe business class passengers can use the lounge. The lounge is fairly simple with a few drinks and packets of chips on offer.
Boarding started 30 minutes before our departure time. Passengers walk outside the ramp to board the plane. It certainly felt very nostalgic to board a B737-200 classic in 2018. The registration of the plane is Z-WPA, originally delivered from Boeing in Nov 1986. (32 years old)
Air Zimbabwe B737-200 has 12 Business Class and 93 Economy Class seats. I was quite surprised to see the Business Class as the ticket office didn’t even tell me there is an option to fly in Business.
I was seated in row 5 and have a great frontal engine view. The window were quite dirty and heavily scratched makes it hard for photography. Check out the video for the takeoff scenes.
Video
There were sandwiches, tea/coffee/juice service on the short 30 minutes flight to Bulawayo. All free of charge. I must say the service was better than many major airlines in US and EU.
The Monday morning flight was not even 50% full so I moved to the back for landing.
See the landing into Bulawayo from the video footage below.
We landed 15 minutes ahead of time at Joshua Nkomo Int’l Airport of Bulawayo. I quickly deplane and went out and back to the check-in area for the return flight. The turnaround time was 30 minutes at Bulawayo.
Strictly no cockpit visit was allowed but I settled in Row 16A to enjoy the views of Zimbabwe and sounds of JT8D engine.
The same sandwich was served again on the return flight.
See the video below for landing back into Harare.
Overall, it was a really enjoyable ride on the Air Zimbabwe B737-200 classic. It was like traveling back in time. Never a moment I felt dangerous.
Video
Dear Sam
My name is Daniël, I am in the End Of Life aircraft business.
Wanted to reach out to you, as I see you are travelling frequently.
My question and offer:
Do you often remark abandoned / EOL aircrafts that are for sale or require scrapping?
We offer a Finders Fee to anyone that can deliver a valid reply to our demands: we are in search of EOL aircrafts.
Warm Regards,
Daniël D
eT.
Hi there,
I love all the videos you do but I would like to ask one question?
Could you please do a review about an Indigo Flight (India)?
It would be really great to watch about it!:)
Thanks
Thanks Aaron.
Although I am not an infrequent flyer, I have never before noticed the engine casing open upon landing and on the 737 – 200 in Sam’s video, the entire back of the casing flipped open.
Can someone explain to me in layman’s language why this happens please?
The Boeing 737-200 and -100, and any other aircraft using the cigar like engines of the time (specifically the JT8D family) used clamshell thrust reversers rather than the conventional ones we generally see today where the sides of the engine pull back. The rear part folds together, directing the airflow forward and slowing the aircraft down.