#AmazingPeople | Ibrahim Clayton Jimu talks about keeping the aircraft cabin well-groomed


At this hour of the morning, you can hear every sound. My pick-up time is at 03:00 am, just after my Tahajjud prayers. The hooter gently sounds in three honks, and we make our way to the airport for another busy day of fastjet flights.


“All the best for today guys, I know it’s going to be a busy morning”, remarked Edmore one of our fastjet drivers as we dropped off at Harare’s RG Mugabe International Airport. On arrival in our Materials Dispatch Area, it’s time to roll up the sleeves and get going. Within a short space of time, I have to prepare for five flights going to Johannesburg, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls.


Check-in opens at 04:00 am for our daybreak flights to Bulawayo and Johannesburg. The crew boarded the aircraft at 04:45, “Good Morning Clayton, said Captain Anesu Musakwa as he walked towards the cockpit, I responded and went on to brief the cabin crew on the inflight service we had loaded onto the aircraft.


Another on-time departure, both flights FN8331 to Johannesburg and FN8441 to Bulawayo make their way to the runway at 05:45 am signalling a good start to the day. On-time performance is something we pride ourselves on at fastjet.


Flight FN8442 arrives from Bulawayo at 08:00 with businesspeople coming to Harare for a day’s trip. It is not always businesspeople, today we had a group of primary school children who disembarked in their neat sports tracksuits in a single file. One of the children screamed “Teacher, I left my snackbox” and broke into tears. Within earshot, the fastjet cabin crew member quickly disembarked the aircraft and handed the youngster another snackbox. Wiping tears and full of gratitude the child walked back in line with the teacher’s keen eye on him.


What fascinated me was how our fastjet snackboxes have become such an iconic inflight experience that children and adults alike carry it home daily. As airline groomers, our role is to ensure all that is required for an onboard flight experience is available. We prepare for each flight by ensuring that the cabin is clean, and our inflight Places Magazines, refreshments and snackboxes are loaded and ready for the flight.


I have always been intrigued by aircraft and working for an airline is a realisation of one of my many dreams. By ensuring that the aircraft cabin is well prepared for a memorable flight experience and seeing children and adults leaving the flight holding on to their snackboxes and Places Magazine makes me proud to contribute toward a memorable fastjet flight experience.

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