AIR Zimbabwe is hunting for a chief executive officer who is expected to steer the airline through the turn-around process, an official with the company has announced.

The company's board chairman Mike Bimha said on Wednesday that the airline wanted a substantive boss for the national carrier as soon as possible.

"If the right candidate applies for the job anytime from now, we will give that person the job," said Bimha.

He said Air Zimbabwe has finally cut its ties with former Air Zimbabwe boss Tendai Mahachi who was suspended by the airline in November last year when the airline grounded its entire fleet after running out of fuel. Captain Oscar Madombwe is currently the acting chief executive officer.

Air Zimbabwe wants a strategic thinker with highly developed business acumen and excellent people management skills, he said, adding that the airline is also seeking a group finance and corporate services director who would manage the finance and other commercial functions of the business.

The Zimbabwean government in April this year approved the turn- around strategy for Air Zimbabwe in an effort to deal with the problems besieging the national airline.

Air Zimbabwe would be unbundled into five strategic business units namely Air Zimbabwe (Private) Limited, Air Zimbabwe Cargo, Air Zimbabwe Technical, National Handling Services and National Distribution Company (Galileo Zimbabwe).

Over the past 10 years, Air Zimbabwe has had several chief executive officers, most of whom left the airline unceremoniously.

Source: Xinhua