Air Zimbabwe (UM, Harare International) has been taken to court by a local Zimbabwean fuel supplier over a USD1+ million debt.

NewsDay reports Zuva Petroleum issued a summons to the airline as well as Zimbabwean Minister of Transport, Joram Gumbo, on February 15.

The case pertains to the supply of 4,836,587 litres of Jet A1 fuel, worth USD4,310,952, to the carrier over the period March 2014 to January 2018.

Approximately USD3,288,628 of the debt was settled leaving arrears of USD1,022,324.

Air Zimbabwe is said to have acknowledged liability of the debt and undertook to settle the amount in March last year. However, as no further payments have been made, Zuva decided to take the legal route culminating in this action.

It is recalled that the heavily indebted state-owned carrier's assets are currently protected from attachment by creditors by virtue of the Air Zimbabwe Corporation (Repeal) Act which, unless rolled over by parliament, will be repealed on July 31, 2018.