Air Tanzania Launches New Victoria Falls–Dar es Salaam–Cape Town Route

Air Tanzania launches a new Victoria Falls–Dar es Salaam–Cape Town route, boosting Zimbabwe’s air connectivity and strengthening regional tourism links (image source)

Harare — Air Tanzania will on Thursday, 11 December 2025, inaugurate a new triangular service connecting Victoria Falls, Dar es Salaam and Cape Town — a development expected to enhance regional air mobility and inject fresh momentum into Zimbabwe’s tourism sector. The twice-weekly flights, operating on Thursdays and Sundays, are the latest addition under the government’s Open Skies Policy, which has attracted 23 international airlines and positioned Victoria Falls International Airport as a rising regional hub.

The Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ) hailed the route as a milestone for Victoria Falls International Airport, saying it expands multi-destination travel options for both leisure and business markets across Southern and East Africa. The new service will allow visitors to combine Zimbabwe’s natural attractions with coastal and metropolitan experiences in Tanzania and South Africa, creating seamless travel circuits that strengthen the region’s tourism value chain.

Air Tanzania’s Zimbabwe Country Manager, Ismail Mpinga, said the carrier would collaborate closely with the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and regional partners to promote the route and develop integrated travel packages. He said the airline would “link these brothers and sisters in marketing with the tourism board,” signalling coordinated campaigns targeting tour operators, travel agents and global markets.

The launch comes amid ongoing government investment in aviation infrastructure, including upgrades to the Air Space Management System and the RGMI Airport VVIP Pavilion under National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1). ACZ and aviation stakeholders say these improvements have helped attract major carriers — including Qatar Airways, Emirates and Ethiopian Airlines — that have expanded Zimbabwe’s international connectivity in recent months.

Industry analysts anticipate several economic and tourism benefits. The connection to Dar es Salaam opens access to East African source markets and coastal tourism circuits, while the Cape Town link taps into one of Southern Africa’s strongest leisure markets. The triangular routing also enables multi-stop itineraries that can increase tourist length of stay and overall spend. For local businesses, improved connectivity promises more predictable visitor flows and new opportunities for joint regional marketing.

Tourism operators welcomed the new service but urged streamlined visa systems, efficient ground-handling and readiness across hospitality products to ensure seamless visitor experiences. Hoteliers, tour operators and transport providers around Victoria Falls said they were aligning capacity and packages to capitalise on the flights, while calling for continued upgrades to road infrastructure and service quality to convert arrivals into repeat business.

Observers note that challenges remain, including ensuring flight reliability, competitive pricing and sustained marketing to priority markets. Maintaining safety and service standards as traffic increases will also be key. Nonetheless, aviation stakeholders view the Air Tanzania launch as a positive signal of sector recovery and of Victoria Falls’ growing role as a gateway for regional tourism.

As the first flights prepare to land, attention will turn to passenger uptake, load factors and the route’s impact on cross-border tourism flows. Should the model prove successful, analysts say it could pave the way for more triangular or multi-city routes that knit Southern and East African destinations into cohesive travel networks.