Air Zimbabwe has announced plans to launch two new direct flights between Gatwick Airport and Harare this month.

The new services will launch on October 28th and come shortly after British Airways announced that it would be scrapping its direct Harare flights from Heathrow Airport from the same date.

Air Zimbabwe's announcement means that a total of five weekly flights will be available between the two destinations as a result of rising demand for seats on the route, the carrier said.

"The development is part of the airline's efforts to increase capacity to cater for the Christmas peak season as well as, to some extent, fill the gap left by the withdrawal of its partner British Airways," said the airline in a statement.

It added that it will be announcing further details on the new flights shortly.

The changes to British Airways' flight schedule for Harare mean that passengers choosing to fly to the Zimbabwean capital with the airline will have to change at Johannesburg to a service operated by franchise partner Comair.

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