Air Zimbabwe is launching a second flight to China to cater for increased passenger and cargo volumes as the country's Look East Policy continues to bear fruits.

The launch of the second flight to the populous Asian country comes two years after the national airliner introduced its maiden flight to Beijing.

In an interview on the sidelines of the China International Travel Mart, Air Zimbabwe regional manager for China Mr Chris Kwenda, said the second flight would fly the Harare-Guangzhou route via Singapore.

"The flight is coming as a second frequency in our China operation. We will launch it mid-January. The plane will be flying to Guangdong province which is of high economic importance to China."

Guangzhou is China's industrial hub and has the highest per capita growth. It is the number one producing region in terms of China's outbound tourism and there is potential business for Zimbabwe there.

"We want to capitalise on that business. Since we launched the first flight our load factors have been increasing and most of our flights are full. This has obviously necessitated the second flight," said Mr Kwenda.

Feasibility market studies, he said, had indicated that the market was viable and sustainable.

"We are doing everything, including working with partners and stakeholders, to ensure that this project is a success.

"The market has received the news positively. Initially the second flight will complement the first flight but depending on demand, we have the flexibility to increase the frequencies. So far, we have witnessed an increase in both passenger and cargo volumes," he said.

Air Zimbabwe, said Mr Kwenda, has also engaged Air China to provide internal links for passengers and goods between Guangzhou and Beijing so that passengers can easily connect flights without the inconvenience of purchasing new tickets when they arrive in China.

"Negotiations with Air China are at an advanced stage for internal flights between Beijing and Guangzhou and vise versa. We are working on a special prorate agreement so that our passengers can easily connect flights," he said.

Tourist wholesalers in China have welcomed the move, saying it would enable them to package direct trips to Harare without necessarily going to South Africa.

Mrs Fang Hui, the vice president of China Women's Federation Travel Services, which facilities the travel of at least 100,000 tourists to Africa every year, said her organisation had long wanted to use Air Zimbabwe but was always worried by the frequency of its flights.

"We have always wanted to consolidate working relations with Air Zimbabwe because we market Victoria Falls, which is in Zimbabwe to our tourists.

"Our problem has been the frequency of flights. That they are introducing a second flight is a great development for us. It is good news," she said.

"We want to be sending two groups each month on holiday. We have been using the China-Johannesburg-Harare route which is too long."

Another top tourist wholesaler, the China Ocean International Tourist Service, said the once-a-week frequency by Air Zimbabwe was not enough for serious business.

"Our people love Zimbabwe because it is more African than South Africa which is more European. We need three to four flights a week from Air Zimbabwe to do serious business.

"But the second flight is a good beginning because one flight per week was too little. In Zimbabwe there is also need to increase flights to tourist destinations and to introduce others where they do not exist already and our people will be happy," he said.