Air Zimbabwe (UM, Harare International) is facing renewed parliamentary scrutiny over alleged corruption, missing aircraft records, and tax compliance failures that lawmakers said could expose the struggling national carrier to asset seizures and worsening financial distress.

A report by the parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the airline’s 2020 audited accounts, presented in the National Assembly last week, found that Air Zimbabwe had been operating aircraft not reflected in its financial statements, raising questions about ownership and asset control.

"The ownership status of some of these aircraft remains unclear," said Member of Parliament Wilson Maposa, as quoted by Zimbabwe's Business Times newspaper.

The report highlighted a grounded A320-200, Z-WPM (msn 630). According to ch-aviation data, the 29.3-year-old jet was retired at Johannesburg O.R. Tambo on January 18, 2014.

As reported by ch-aviation, Z-WPM and its sister ship, Z-WPN (msn 1973), were acquired in a 2012 deal between China Sonangol International (Hong Kong International) and Zimbabwe’s then-government under Robert Mugabe to support the struggling state airline, structured through two Isle of Man special purpose vehicles, SouthJet Two and SouthJet One. Only Z-WPN entered service, while Z-WPM has remained grounded in Johannesburg due to a lack of funds for major airframe and landing gear repairs.

The report warned that unresolved legal and financial issues surrounding the aircraft could trigger liability under international aviation rules and potential seizure under South African regulations if compliance problems persist.

Air Zimbabwe officials told the parliament they had engaged SAA Technical to clarify the aircraft’s status and said no parking fees were currently owed, adding that only future maintenance costs would arise if the aircraft returned to service.

The PAC also criticised the airline’s tax practices, saying it failed to compute income tax and deferred tax obligations in 2019 and did not submit quarterly returns.

"The audit noted that Air Zimbabwe did not do any tax computation for both income tax and deferred tax," Maposa said.

The committee recommended that the airline submit outstanding financial statements to the auditor-general by August 31, 2026, and urged stricter oversight of senior management through performance contracts.

Opposition MP Edwin Mushoriwa described the airline’s condition as dire, citing weak governance, staffing shortages and alleged use of unrecorded aircraft.

Mushoriwa said placing the airline under the Mutapa Investment Fund could support restructuring efforts, but warned that urgent reforms are needed to restore accountability and prevent further asset loss.

ch-aviation has contacted Air Zimbabwe for comment.