Air Zimbabwe has retired its only Falcon 7X, according to ch-aviation research. The aircraft, which served as Zimbabwe’s Presidential jet while operated by the national carrier, is the first of its type to join Axis Aviation San Marino.
Z-AZM made its final flight under Zimbabwean registration on July 11, 2024, between Harare International and Johannesburg Lanseria. It remained parked there until September 24, when it resumed operations under an Aruban registration, P4-MTP, flying to Cape Town International.
More recently, between October and November, the aircraft was re-registered as T7-MTP, and is now under Axis Aviation San Marino. It began flying under its new registration on November 21, performing two flights between Johannesburg Lanseria and Durban King Shaka.
The 1.8-year-old Dassault Aviation jet was initially registered in Aruba as P4-SIM and completed its first flight on March 1, 2023, between Paris Le Bourget and Johannesburg O.R. Tambo. According to local newspaper The Zimbabwean, the jet was already in use as Zimbabwe’s presidential aircraft under this registration, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa using it for various state trips. It was subsequently re-registered and added to Air Zimbabwe later that year.
With the retirement of the Falcon 7X, Zimbabwe no longer has an official presidential jet. In early November, Mnangagwa travelled to the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Azerbaijan on a Royal Jet B737-700(BBJ), A6-RJU (msn 62468).
Air Zimbabwe’s passenger fleet currently comprises five aircraft, including one A320-200, one B737-200, one B767-200ER, and two E145s.
Meanwhile, the addition of this Falcon 7X is part of a recently announced fleet expansion in San Marino, which includes a Global 5000 and a Falcon 2000LX. This is the group’s first aircraft of the type, as neither Swiss-based AXIS Aviation, AXIS Aviation Austria, nor AXIS Aviation South Africa, manage any Falcon 7X.
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