UNPRECEDENTED PASSENGER BOOM AT VICTORIA FALLS AIRPORT

THE Victoria Falls International Airport (VFIA) is experiencing an unprecedented passenger boom, shattering pre-pandemic records and cementing its status as a key regional aviation hub, driven by a surge in Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events (MICE) tourism and a strategic drive to attract more airlines.

Statistics released by the Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ) show a powerful story of recovery and growth.

After the catastrophic drop in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, where annual passenger numbers plummeted to below 70 000, recovery began in earnest in 2022 (219 308).

The upgraded airport not only rebounded but exploded past its pre-pandemic benchmark in 2023, handling 390 010 passengers, surpassing the 2019 total of 374,208.

This momentum intensified in 2024, with the airport surpassing the half-million passenger mark to reach a record 505 426 for the year.

The growth trajectory is even more pronounced in the first seven months of 2025. While the full year’s data is incomplete, the January-July figures for 2025 (287 597) already show a significant 17,5 percent increase over the same period in 2024 (244 773).

Most strikingly, July 2025 saw 62 279 passengers, a 39,69 percent increase compared to July 2024 (44 583).

In an interview on Wednesday, ACZ public relations and communications manager, Mr Tonderai Mangombe, said the remarkable growth is directly linked to the airport’s 2016 upgrade and a concerted development strategy.

“Since the re-administration of this airport, I can proudly say the traffic has gone up twice, like double. In 2019, before the upgrade, we were handling an average of 200 000 passengers per annum. But of late, to 2024, we were up to 500 000 passengers per annum,” he said.

Mr Mangombe attributed this success to a proactive grid development initiative.

“As the Airport Company of Zimbabwe, we are doing what is called grid development. We are approaching airlines to fly into Zimbabwe and we are also encouraging those airlines currently flying into Zimbabwe to increase their frequencies, to increase their routes,” he said.

This strategy is already yielding tangible results.

Mr Mangombe highlighted the expansion of services by regional carrier Airlink, which now operates two daily flights to Johannesburg and has extended its Kruger National Park service to include Durban.

Furthermore, the recent launch of a Bulawayo-Victoria Falls route by Fastjet on August 8 has been a game-changer for domestic connectivity.

“The grid development endeavours together with this tourism fraternity and the industry, we are all working together trying to ensure we grow the aviation industry as a sector and its contribution to the economy,” said Mr Mangombe.

A significant and immediate driver of the July 2025 surge was the high-profile COP15 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, which drew thousands of international delegates to the resort town. Mr Mangombe confirmed its impact.

“Recently, we had COP15, which brought in a number of people into Victoria Falls, which I can proudly say is also a contributor to the 39 percent increase in July,” he said.

This aligns perfectly with the Government’s tourism thrust.

The Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Cde Barbara Rwodzi, in a recent interview, emphasised making Zimbabwe a premier destination for large-scale events.

“It is indeed our thrust that we have been pushing this year to ensure that Zimbabwe is a destination of choice when it comes to conferencing, to conventions and gatherings of any nature,” she said.

“We are very happy about this Ramsar gathering. As you can see, it has brought several people into our country, bigger than most of the other Ramsar conventions in the past years.”

Minister Rwodzi directly linked this success to air access, welcoming Fastjet’s new domestic route.

“Definitely, tourism accessibility is key. As for the coming in of Fastjet, it means growth, particularly in domestic tourism, but also in international tourism,” she said.

Minister Rwodzi pointed to the new route’s potential to promote multi-destination tourism.

“We have other tourists that we are pushing to come into Bulawayo, spend a night or two because Bulawayo is another destination for our country, and then going over to Victoria Falls,” she said.

“There has not been an airline that has been coming from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls for a long time, and it is good news that now Fastjet is opening this route.”

In 2016, the Victoria Falls International Airport was upgraded and commissioned to handle 1,5 million passengers, up from 400 000.

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