VP-YNL Air Zimbabwe during the transition from Air Rhodesia 1979.
Air Zimbabwe Boeing 720-025 with Air Rhodesia tail during transition. It became the short-lived Air Zimbabwe Rhodesia in June 1979 and then Air Zimbabwe in April 1980 when the Republic of Zimbabwe was formed. It began services on 2 April 1980 to London Gatwick. The initial fleet of five Boeing 707 sourced from Lufthansa replaced the Boeing 720 aircraft used by Air Rhodesia. These 707s joined the Vickers Viscount fleet, which was added to with the purchase of two Viscounts from the UK operator Dan Air. Three Boeing 737 aircraft were ordered from Boeing in the mid 1980s to enhance regional routes.
Long haul operations which were the 707s' domain, were gradually phased out from 1990 with the two newly acquired Boeing 767 aircraft. A British Aerospace BAe 146 was added to the fleet from the air force in the 1980s. Leased Fokker 50s were used from 1995 but proved unsuitable to the hot and high conditions and were returned to the lessor.
Flyvertosset's Gallery
Canadian Aviation Blog