Air Zimbabwe slashes workforce by half

"We were overstaffed by a lot and we are also trying to weed out people without the right qualifications," said the carrier's Chairwoman, Chipo Dyanda. "The retrenchment is meant to give space to the airline so that we can redeploy the money saved back into the company."

Most of the employees affected were in administrative positions, and all employees have been placed on performance-based contracts. Staff will also be re-trained, "starting with the chief executive officer.”

The restructuring program is also aiming to build Harare Int'l as a travel gateway.

"This restructuring exercise is coming on the backdrop of a strategic plan to give the company a different business model so that Harare is not viewed as a destination but a transit to other parts of the world," said Dyanda