Zimbabwe Economic News: Durban-Harare flights, British Airways direct to Harare, exploitation of Lupane gas reserves

First off, we see that SA Express Airlines will be expanding its route network into Zimbabwe with the launch of its Durban-Harare route, with an inaugural flight scheduled for October 3.

In a statement, SA Express said the new route would be the airline’s second major regional route launched in the last 3 months, taking the carriers’ destinations to 16 – NewsDay, Thursday September 13.

British Airways to start flying direct to Harare again

Sticking to the airline sector, British Airways is expected to start flying to Harare next year, adding to the number of international and regional airlines landing on Zimbabwe’s runways, ZTA chief executive Karikoga Kaseke has said adding that he hoped Qatar (Airways Company) would be also coming – Daily News, Thursday September 13

Lontoh Coal looks to invest $7.5 bln over 5 year period

South Africa based mining entity Lontoh Coal is planning to invest $7.5 bln locally between 2013 and 2018 on mining and petrochemicals projects, a company official has said. Under the plan $1.5 bln would be invested in a coal slurry pipeline.

Lontoh chief executive told delegates attending the ongoing Zimbabwe Mining Indaba in the capital that the massive investments were expected to produce 50 000 barrels of liquid fuels and create 5 000 direct permanent jobs – NewsDay, Friday September 14,

Exploiting Lupane gas

The Zimbabwe Power Company has moved in to explore the feasibility and viability of exploiting the Lupane coal bed methane gas by inviting bids from companies to carry out a geological survey to establish the extent of the resource. According to the tender document, ZPC said it was pursuing a number of initiatives to diversify the generation mix through the development of gas-fired generation – NewsDay, Friday September 14,