Source: Passenger traffic at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport surges – herald
Freeman Razemba
Senior Reporter
PASSENGER traffic at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport (RGMIA) has continued its upward trajectory, with nearly 1,2 million passengers handled between January and September, up from 1,1 million during the same period last year.
This represents an 8,19 percent increase in passenger traffic at the country’s biggest airport, underscoring the resurgence of the aviation and tourism sectors.
According to the Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ), the growth follows major upgrades to the airport’s infrastructure, which were completed in 2023 by China Jiangsu International, expanding its annual handling capacity from 2,5 million to six million passengers.
The development positioned RGMIA as one of the region’s key aviation hubs, capable of accommodating increased domestic and international air traffic.
“Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport handled a total of 1 191 309 passengers between January and September 2025, compared to 1 101 030 over the same period in 2024,” ACZ said in its Cumulative Annual Passenger Traffic Summary (2019-2025).
The new data also shows consistent recovery and growth of passenger traffic over the years.
Between January and December 2023, RGMIA handled 1 299 114 passengers, up from 1 156 836 in 2022 and 437 099 in 2021, following a pandemic-related slump that had seen numbers fall to 325 388 in 2020 from 1 013 155 in 2019.
The resurgence reflects Zimbabwe’s steady economic recovery, growing air connectivity and increasing international confidence in the country as a tourism and business destination.
Across the aviation network, all major airports recorded robust growth during the second quarter of 2025, with the total number of passengers rising by 22,2 percent, from 501 275 in the first quarter to 612 695.
According to the Second Quarter 2025 Transport Statistics report by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat), passenger growth was driven by rising tourist arrivals, improved domestic mobility and enhanced air service connectivity.
RGMIA maintained its dominance, recording a 13,9 percent increase from 347 080 to 395 267 passengers.
Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport in Bulawayo posted a 16,5 percent rise (from 43 217 to 50 367), while Victoria Falls International Airport — buoyed by record tourist inflows — saw a remarkable 48,4 percent surge, from 107 500 to 159 527 passengers.
Regional airports also experienced significant gains, with a combined 116,6 percent increase in passenger volumes, from 3 478 to 7 534, reflecting decentralisation of air traffic and growing economic activity in provincial centres.
Flight operations followed the same trend, jumping 47,2 percent across the country.
RGMIA handled 6 931 flights, up by 19,8 percent from 5 787, while Victoria Falls International Airport saw the sharpest rise — 75,2 percent, from 2 474 to 4 334 flights — highlighting strong international demand for the resort destination.
Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport rose by 34,4 percent, from 1 483 to 1 993, and other regional airports recorded a combined 113,8 percent increase.
Aviation experts attribute the continued rise in air traffic to the Government’s sustained investment in airport modernisation, tourism recovery efforts and connectivity expansion.
The ZimStat report also comes as Zimbabwe enjoys renewed international acclaim, especially following Forbes magazine’s recognition of the country as the “best country to visit in 2025”, a development expected to further boost arrivals and solidify the country’s growing global appeal.
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