Fastjet Zimbabwe (FN, Harare International) is considering introducing the A320-200 to its fleet in 2027 pending the outcome of a trial short-term wet lease of the aircraft between Harare International and Johannesburg O.R. Tambo, its flagship route where it currently competes with 50-seater E145s against narrowbody operators.

The airline is wet leasing ZS-GAC (msn 2496) from South African-based Global Aviation Operations for August and September 2026, Fastjet Group CEO Kirsten King confirmed. The aircraft will enter service on August 1, primarily on the high-demand Harare-Johannesburg corridor to support a projected surge in passenger demand during the 2026 peak travel period.

Donahue Cortes, Fastjet Zimbabwe’s country head and chief executive, described the temporary deployment as a vital move for the carrier's future operations.

"Beyond supporting our immediate operational requirements, this deployment is an important strategic step," Cortes said. "It allows us to evaluate the Airbus A320 within our network as part of our longer-term fleet development strategy."

"Subject to the outcome of this trial, we see the Airbus A320 becoming a permanent part of the Fastjet Zimbabwe fleet from next year, supporting our continued growth and strengthening connectivity between Zimbabwe and the region," he said.

Staying competitive on the Harare-Johannesburg route with its regional jet capacity has become challenging for Fastjet Zimbabwe as South African low-cost carrier FlySafair operates the route 2x daily with B737-800s, South African Airways flies it 2x daily with A320-200s, and Airlink (South Africa) operates it 6x daily with E190s.

Last month, Fastjet Group said it was looking for additional E145 capacity for August and September as the airline continued to assess a long-term fleet upgauge to larger Embraer models, but that the high cost of introducing a new type remained a hurdle.

King said the A320-200 upgauge now provided sufficient capacity and no more additional E145s were being sought for August and September. Bigger Embraer types are "not being considered at the moment," she said.

According to ch-aviation data, ZS-GAC currently operates on South African trunk routes under Global Aviation's scheduled Lift Airlines brand. Global leases the 21.1-year-old airframe from AerCap. The aircraft seats 168 passengers in a two-class cabin of 156 in economy and 12 in business class. First delivered to Kingfisher Airlines in 2005, it last flew with Pan Pacific Airlines between 2021 and 2023 before joining Global.