Air Zimbabwe
Template:Short description Template:Infobox airline
Air Zimbabwe (Pvt) Ltd (operating as Air Zimbabwe) is the national carrier of Zimbabwe,<ref name="Reports: Air Zimbabwe cuts half its workforce" /> headquartered on the property of Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport,<ref>"Airline Membership Template:Webarchive." (Archive) International Air Transport Association. Retrieved on 27 February 2012. "Air Zimbabwe Corporation Harare Airport Harare Zimbabwe"</ref> in Harare.<ref name="Trade body suspends Air Zimbabwe" /><ref name="AFRAA" /> From its hub at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, the carrier used to operate a network within southern Africa that also included Asia and London-Gatwick. Following financial difficulties, Air Zimbabwe ceased operations in late February 2012. Serving a reduced domestic network, the carrier resumed operations for a short period between Template:MONTHNAME and early July 2012, when flights were again discontinued. Some flights were restarted on a discontinuous basis in Template:MONTHNAME that year. The airline resumed operating some domestic routes as well as the regional service to Johannesburg on a daily basis in April 2013.
The company has been a member of the International Air Transport Association, and of the African Airlines Association since 1981.<ref name="AFRAA" /> It is owned by the Government of Zimbabwe.<ref name="flyafrica.com and fastjet give Zimbabwe its first taste of LCCs with local start-up" />
HistoryEdit
Early yearsEdit
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The entity that eventually became Air Zimbabwe formally came into being on 1 September 1967, when the Government of Rhodesia created 'Air Rhodesia Corporation' to succeed Air Rhodesia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Central African Airways Corporation (CAAC) that had existed since 1964 as a domestic airline within Rhodesia.<ref name="FI1968-519" /><ref name="FI1967-564" /> Following the dissolution of CAAC at the end of 1967, Air Rhodesia inherited CAAC operations,<ref name="FI1968-519" /> as well as a fleet of Boeing, DC-3 and Viscount aircraft.Template:Sfnp It became the short-lived 'Air Zimbabwe Rhodesia' in 1978,<ref name="FI1993" /> and finally 'Air Zimbabwe' in April 1980 when the Republic of Zimbabwe was formed.<ref name="FI1985-50" /> Services connecting Harare with South Africa (Durban and Johannesburg) had been operated before the country gained its independence.Template:Sfnp Scheduled services began on 2 April 1980 to London Gatwick.<ref name="FI2002-66" /> The company had leased a Boeing 707 from South African Airways until May 1981, when three Boeing 707-320Bs were bought from Lufthansa. That year, flights to Frankfurt were inaugurated.Template:Sfnp The airline recorded a ZWL 330,000 (£220,000) profit for the fiscal year that ended on 30 June 1980.<ref name="FI1981-209" />
During 1982, a service to Perth and Sydney commenced; it was run in cooperation with Qantas and flown with Qantas Boeing 747SP aircraft.Template:Sfnp In Template:MONTHNAME that year, the Government directed Air Zimbabwe and the national freighter airline Affretair to merge their operations; the freighter company was eventually taken over by Air Zimbabwe in July 1983.<ref name="FI1985-50" /> The cargo carrier continued its operations under the Affretair brand. During 1983, Air Zimbabwe became a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA); it also extended its regional routes to Gaborone, Lilongwe, Lusaka and Nairobi.Template:Sfnp
By March 1985, Air Zimbabwe had 1,443 employees and the fleet comprised five Boeing 707-320Bs and seven Viscount 700s. At this time, the airline flew domestic services linking Harare with Buffalo Range, Bulawayo, Gweru, Hwange National Park, Kariba, Masvingo and Victoria Falls, regional services to Blantyre, Durban, Gaborone, Johannesburg, Lusaka and Nairobi, and intercontinental flights to Athens, Frankfurt and London; the Harare–Perth–Sydney route offered using Qantas Boeing 747SP aircraft was flown in association with Air Zimbabwe.<ref name="FI1985-50" /> A Boeing 737-200 that had been leased from Maersk was returned to the lessor in 1986 and the first of three owned Boeing 737-200s was phased in and put into service in Template:MONTHNAME that year; the second and third aircraft of the type were delivered in Template:MONTHNAME and July 1987. The additional capacity permitted route extensions to Dar es Salaam, Manzini, Maputo and Mauritius. A BAe 146-200 was bought in 1987 for domestic routes.Template:Sfnp Also in 1987, the airline announced its intentions to acquire Ilyushin Il-62s and -86s and Yakovlev Yak-42s instead of Western-built aircraft. These plans never materialised and Air Zimbabwe placed an order for two Boeing 767-200s. With registration Z-WPE and named "Victoria Falls", the first Boeing 767-200ER entered the fleet in November 1989. The Boeing 707 was retired from serving long-haul routes shortly afterwards; these aircraft were still used to cover regional routes. The Viscount was definitely withdrawn from service in November 1989. The airline phased in the second 767-200ER (Z-WPF, named "Chimanimani") in late 1990. Two Fokker 50s were ordered in April 1995; they were delivered a month later.Template:Sfnp
Financial turmoil and service disruptionEdit
In February 2004, it was revealed that the company had been temporarily suspended by the IATA over unpaid debts.<ref name="Trade body suspends Air Zimbabwe" /><ref name="Air Zimbabwe set to pay debt" /> In late October 2006, the prices of Air Zimbabwe tickets increased up to 500%, partly due to the inflation in the country rising to over 1,000%—at that time the Zimbabwean Central Bank stated that it could not continue supporting Air Zimbabwe and other money-losing state companies—and partly because the airline was in need of foreign currency to pay for fuel, spare parts, and catering.<ref name="Air Zimbabwe tickets up by 500%" /> A foreign exchange crisis in the country led to the cancellation of the carrier's operations in late 2005, following the lack of hard currency to pay for the fuel.<ref name="Air Zimbabwe suspends flights to London" /><ref name="Fuel crisis disrupts Air Zimbabwe" /><ref name="Grounded Air Zimbabwe resumes flights" /><ref name="Zimbabwe halts flights over fuel" /> In 2006, it was disclosed that passenger numbers had fallen from 1 million in 1999 to 23,000 in 2005.<ref name="Air Zimbabwe suspends flights to London" />
In May 2011, the airline was suspended from IATA's international financial and booking system over unpaid booking fees.<ref name="IATA demands $2m from Air Zimbabwe" /><ref name="Air Zimbabwe Suspended by IATA, Nehanda Radio Reports" /><ref name="IATA suspends Air Zim over debt" /> It was announced in early November 2011 that the government would absorb a Template:US$ million debt in order to make the company more attractive to foreign investors.<ref name="Air Zimbabwe courts foreign partners" /><ref name="Government assumes Air Zim’s US$140m debt" /> Already in December 2011, the carrier struggled to provide its regional and overseas services amid aircraft impoundments over unpaid debts.<ref name="Air Zimbabwe Plane Impounded in London" /><ref name="Zimbabwe suspends flights to S.Africa over debts" /><ref name="Air Zimbabwe 767 impounded at Gatwick" />
In January 2012, the airline came under judicial management.<ref name="Air Zimbabwe Placed Under Judicial Management, Mail Reports" /><ref name="Air Zimbabwe on final step to liquidation" /> Following a failed revival attempt, in which the pilots refused to resume domestic services over Template:US$ million in unpaid salaries and allowances, it was announced on 24 February 2012 that Air Zimbabwe would be grounded indefinitely.<ref name="Air Zimbabwe arrête tous ses vols" /><ref name="Air Zimbabwe vanishes from the skies indefinitely" /><ref name="Air Zimbabwe suspends flights" /> In March of the same year, the government of Zimbabwe established Air Zimbabwe Private Limited as the new owner of the carrier after disbanding the airline's former parastatal owner Air Zimbabwe Holdings and absorbing a Template:US$ million debt.<ref name="Simple ownership change to forgive USD150m of debt is not enough to place Air Zimbabwe back on track" /><ref name="Air Zimbabwe targets Christmas flights" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The airline resumed flying on a continuous basis in early May 2012,<ref name="Air Zimbabwe resumes domestic flights" /> yet using a single aircraft and serving only three domestic destinations—Bulawayo, Harare and Victoria Falls—and only for a short period of time until the grounding of the aircraft on 2 July 2012.<ref name="air-zimbabwe-suspends-operations-162989" /> The airline was reactivated in late November 2012, with a reduced flight scheme serving the Harare–Johannesburg route.<ref name="Zimbabwe: Air Zim Back in the Skies" /> Reports indicated the carrier resumed domestic operations connecting Bulawayo, Harare and Victoria Falls, as well as the regional route to Johannesburg, on a daily basis in April 2013,<ref name="Zimbabwe: Airzim Resumes Daily Flights" /> ahead of the 2013 Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.<ref name="Zimbabwe: Airzim Cashes in on ZITF" /><ref name="Air Zimbabwe resumes daily flights" /> Approximately 600 employees out of more than 1,000 had been laid off by late May 2013 as part of cost-cutting measures aimed at recapitalising the airline.<ref name="AirZim 600 on forced leave" /> The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority revealed in June 2013 that the airline's market share suffered a steep decrease in the year ending 31 December 2012, with a 0.8% participation in this period down from 27% in the same period of 2009.<ref name="AirZim market share tumbles: ZTA" />
In May 2017 Air Zimbabwe was added to the list of air carriers banned in the European Union as a result of not meeting EU safety standards.<ref name="Reports: Air Zimbabwe cuts half its workforce" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:As of, Air Zimbabwe's debts were estimated to be Template:US$ million.<ref name="Reports: Air Zimbabwe cuts half its workforce" /> On 8 June 2018, it was reported that Air Zimbabwe has debts of more than $300 million and can no longer fly to most destinations due to threats by debtors to impound its aircraft.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> With mounting debt and only three of its aircraft operational, the airline was put under administration on 6 October 2018.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
On 26 March 2020, the airline was forced to suspend all flights indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The airline was subsequently forced to put all employees on unpaid leave and was in the process of creating a post-pandemic masterplan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It returned to flying domestic routes in September and regional routes in October 2020.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
By March 2023, Air Zimbabwe reported clearing its debt to IATA, and was hoping to resume London-Harare flights.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Corporate affairsEdit
Ownership and managementEdit
Since March 2012 the airline has been operated through Air Zimbabwe Private Limited, which is wholly owned by the Zimbabwe Government,<ref name="Simple ownership change to forgive USD150m of debt is not enough to place Air Zimbabwe back on track" /> although there have long been plans to privatise the airline in some degree.
Chipo Dyanda is the airlineTemplate:'s chairwoman, Template:As of.<ref name="Reports: Air Zimbabwe cuts half its workforce" /> In October 2016, Simba Chikore was appointed to be the Chief Operating Officer (COO), amid much controversy and accusations of nepotism as he is also the son-in-law to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Captain Ripton Muzenda was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in late August 2016. He eventually, resigned 15 months after his appointment, ultimately suing the company for allegedly violating contract terms.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Simba resigned from Air Zimbabwe in November 2017.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Business trendsEdit
Air Zimbabwe has been loss-making for many years, with irregular services. Although the airline is government owned, full annual reports are not published. Audited accounts were last presented in 2008, and despite press reports that audits have been completed for the years 2009 to 2012, these do not appear to have been published.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Various performance figures have been publicly professed, but are subject to change and may therefore not be accurate (for example, the number of employees have allegedly remained fixed in recent years). Recent financial figures (2014 to 2018) are from the 'Reconstruction Report' by the airline administrator Grant Thornton, as reported by the Zimbabwe Independent. Publicised figures (for years ending 31 December):
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover (US$m) | 111.6 | 32.9 | 34.2 | 95.3 | 45.7 | |||||||||||||||
| Profits (US$m) | Template:Ifsubst style="color:red">-44.8 | Template:Ifsubst style="color:red">-40.1 | Template:Ifsubst style="color:red">-28.9 | Template:Ifsubst style="color:red">-22.3 | Template:Ifsubst style="color:red">-33.1 | Template:Ifsubst style="color:red">-14.3 | ||||||||||||||
| Number of employees | 799 | 543 | 543 | 425 | 232 | 232 | 232 | |||||||||||||
| Number of passengers (000s) | 151 | 196 | 194 | 195 | 198 | |||||||||||||||
| Passenger load factor (%) | 60.6 | 46.5 | 47.0 | 41.3 | 46.0 | |||||||||||||||
| Number of aircraft (operational) (at year end) | 3 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Number of aircraft (stored) (at year end) | 6 | 4 | 5 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||
| Notes/sources | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
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DestinationsEdit
Network developmentEdit
The Harare–Beijing service was launched in November 2004, following an increase of the Chinese–Zimbabwean economic ties.<ref name="China raises stakes in Zimbabwe" /> Likewise, the carrier added Kuala Lumpur to its network in 2009.<ref name="Routes: Kualu Lumpur Airport bullish on growth" /> A capacity boost was disclosed to occur on the Harare–London-Gatwick route effective 1 April 2011.<ref name="Air Zimbabwe renforce sa ligne Harare – Londres" /><ref name="Air Zimbabwe aumenta frequência de voos para Grã-Bretanha" /> The Harare–London route that was once served by both British Airways and Air Zimbabwe had become one of the most lucrative routes for Air Zimbabwe since the British carrier discontinued the service in 2007.<ref name="British Airways abandons flights to Zimbabwe" /><ref name="Zimbabwe: Country Increasingly Isolated As British Airways Pulls Out" />Template:Additional citation needed
As part of its recovery strategy, the airline in April 2020 has launched a comprehensive revival plan. The airline is planning new routes from Victoria Falls, as well as from Harare.<ref name="m24dY" /> Victoria Falls will connect local resorts (Buffalo Range, Kariba, Matopos, and Hwange) and regional destinations in Windhoek (Namibia), Maun (Botswana) and Cape Town (South Africa).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The main Harare hub will introduce regular flights to Lusaka (Zambia), Cape Town, Dubai (UAE) and Lubumbashi and Kinshasa (both in the Democratic Republic of Congo).<ref name="m24dY" /> through to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In February 2011 the airline temporarily suspended its flights to Johannesburg over likely impoundments of its planes by creditors due to unpaid debts.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead link</ref> Regional and domestic services were suspended for a short period in May 2011, following both the grounding of its Boeing 737-200 fleet by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) over maintenance concerns,<ref name="Troubled Air Zim cancels regional flights" /> and the impoundment of a leased aircraft from Zambezi Airlines over a Template:US$ unpaid debt.<ref name="Air Zimbabwe plane seized over debt" /> Operations resumed in late May 2011, following an agreement between the two airlines,<ref name="index-id-business-sc-companies-byo-3953-article-Air+Zimbabwe+resumes+flights.html" /><ref name="Air Zimbabwe resumes flights" /> yet the aircraft was repossessed by the owner in late June 2011.<ref name="Air Zimbabwe forced to return Zambezi Airlines' plane" /> In mid-June 2011, flights to London and South Africa were temporarily suspended because of a due debt with fuel suppliers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Owing both to the grounding of the 737-200 fleet and to fuel shortages in the country, domestic services were suspended and regional flights were operated on an irregular basis.<ref name="Air Zim puts passengers on buses" /><ref name="Fuel shortages hit the skies" /> The airline started regularising medium- and short-haul operations in July 2011, as it got clearance from the CAAZ to operate one of its three grounded 737-200.<ref name="Air Zimbabwe, back in the sky" /><ref name="Air Zim planes cleared to fly" /> Operations were discontinued again in late July 2011, this time due to a pilots' strike, resuming in mid-September after a 50-day-long strike.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref name="Air Zimbabwe resumes flights as pilots end 50-day strike" /><ref name="Air Zimbabwe grounded again following strike by pilots" /> Once again, overseas and domestic flights were temporarily cancelled in early November 2011, this time owing to an unpaid debt with fuel providers.<ref name="Air Zimbabwe courts foreign partners" /><ref name="AirZim leaves passengers stranded" /><ref name="Fuel dispute grounds Air Zimbabwe" /> Overseas routes resumed on 11 November 2011.<ref name="Air Zimbabwe resumes Beijing, London flights" /> However, flights to the United Kingdom and South Africa were suspended in January 2012 over likely impoundments of the airline's aircraft for outstanding debts.<ref name="Air Zimbabwe suspends flights to London, Joburg" /><ref name="Après Johannesburg, Air Zimbabwe suspend Londres" />
OverviewEdit
Following is a list of destinations Air Zimbabwe flies to, according to its scheduled services, Template:As of.<ref name="Flight-Schedule" /> Terminated destinations are also shown.
Interline agreementsEdit
- Hahn Air <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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FleetEdit
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Current fleetEdit
Template:As of, the Air Zimbabwe fleet consists of the following aircraft:<ref name="Fleet" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Update inline
| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | ||||||
| Airbus A320-200 | 2 | — | 18 | 142 | 160 | both stored<ref name="Fleet" /> | ||
| Boeing 737-200Adv | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
— | 12 | 93 | 105 | ||
| Boeing 767-200ER | 2 | — | 30 | 167 | 197 | 1 stored<ref name="Fleet" /> | ||
| Boeing 777-200ER | 2 | — | TBA | citation | CitationClass=web
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| Embraer ERJ-145 | 2 | — | — | 50 | 50 | <ref name="Razemba">Template:Cite news</ref> | ||
| Xian MA60 | 1 | — | — | 52 | 52 | stored<ref name="Fleet" /> | ||
| Total | 10 | — | ||||||
Historic fleetEdit
The airline previously operated the following aircraft:
- BAe 146-100<ref name="marketplace-14381" />
- Boeing 707-320B<ref name="FI1988" />
- Boeing 737-500<ref name="Troubled Air Zim cancels regional flights" />
- Fokker 50<ref name="Zimbabwe Government loses patience with Fokkers" />
- Viscount 700<ref name="FI1988" />
- Viscount 800<ref name="FI1988" />
Fleet developmentEdit
Two Viscount 800s were purchased from Dan-Air in the early 1980s, to replace the Viscount 700s inherited from Air Rhodesia that were near the end of their life; these aircraft flew for the company until their retirement in 1989.<ref name="FI1980-2158" />Template:Additional citation needed
The initial fleet of five Boeing 707s sourced from Lufthansa replaced the Boeing 720 aircraft used by Air Rhodesia. These 707s joined the Vickers Viscount fleet, that was strengthened by the addition of two Viscounts 810s from Dan Air.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The airline saw the incorporation of the Boeing 737-200 into the fleet in 1985.<ref name="1985-6" /> Long-haul operations that were once operated with the 707s were gradually shifted to the newly acquired Boeing 767-200ER aircraft; the first of them entered the fleet in late 1989.<ref name="FI1989-10" /> A British Aerospace BAe 146 was added to the fleet from the Zimbabwean Air force in the 1980s. Leased Fokker 50s were used from 1995 but proved unsuitable to the hot and high conditions and were returned to the lessor.<ref name="Zimbabwe Government loses patience with Fokkers" />
In late 2010 the airline announced it had ordered two Airbus A340-500s to serve the Harare–Beijing and Harare–London routes;<ref name="Air Zim buys two Airbuses" /> the order was later cancelled after the company failed to raise the money.<ref name="Air Zim fails to buy planes" /> In late June 2011, Air Zimbabwe was forced to return the Boeing 737-500 it was hiring from Zambezi Airlines to partially compensate the lack of equipment following the grounding of its Boeing 737-200 fleet,<ref name="Troubled Air Zim cancels regional flights" /> as it was unable to afford the costs of its leasing.<ref name="Air Zimbabwe forced to return Zambezi Airlines' plane" /> The aircraft was mainly used to operate the Harare–Johannesburg route; it was disclosed the company had to fly the route using one of their Boeing 767s.<ref name="Air Zimbabwe forced to return Zambezi Airlines' plane" />
Despite versions for the acquisition of new aircraft were officially declined in July 2011 owing to a precarious cash position,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> it was disclosed that the airline bought an Airbus A340-500 and an Airbus A320, both new, in August 2011.<ref name="Air Zimbabwe gets new Airbus planes" /> Template:As of, there had been discrepant versions over the acquisition of new Airbus aircraft, since the secretary of the Zimbabwean Ministry of Transport has denied the transaction,<ref name="We have not secured a pre-owned Airbus for AirZim - Mbiriri" /> but there exist records for the delivery of an A320 to the company.<ref name="Air Zimbabwe leases Airbus A320" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The introduction of A320 services was informed in May 2013,<ref name="Air Zimbabwe launches Airbus plane" /> when it replaced the Boeing 767s on the Harare–Johannesburg route.<ref name="Bird attack grounds Air Zimbabwe's A-320 after maiden flight" /><ref name="Zimbabwe: New Airzim Airbus in Maiden Jo'burg Flight" />
On 20 January 2020, the airline received the first of 2 Boeing 777-200 jets from Malaysia Airlines.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Accidents and incidentsEdit
According to the Aviation Safety Network,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the company has not had a fatal accident since Air Rhodesia was renamed Air Zimbabwe in 1980. The only hull-loss accident is listed below.
- July 1984: A Vickers 756D Viscount, registration Z-YNI, was damaged beyond repair in an incident on the grounds of Harare International Airport.<ref>Template:ASN accident</ref> It was withdrawn from service and transferred to the airport fire department for use as a training aid.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Unreliable source?
In June 1999 the Chicago Tribune published a story, later withdrawn, in which the reporter Gaby Plattner claimed she had flown from Kariba to Hwange on an Air Zimbabwe service, and that the flight departed without a co-pilot, and during the flight the pilot was locked out of the cockpit, and had to use an axe to chop down the door.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The newspaper later stated that this story was untrue.<ref name="No Truth to the Story" /> The carrier then sued the Chicago Tribune and also CNN, after it ran a story claiming it was the most dangerous airline in the world.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
BibliographyEdit
External linksEdit
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