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EgyptAir Airlines Company (IATA Code: MS), operating as EgyptAir (Arabic: مصر للطيران, Misr Lel-Tayaran) is the Cairo-based national airline of Egypt. Wholly owned by the Egyptian government, it operates scheduled services to 70 destinations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Far East, the USA, and Canada, as well as running a domestic operation. Its main base is Cairo International Airport.

EgyptAir is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization and is Africa's second-largest airline. The airline is a future member of the Star Alliance.

The airline celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2007.

History

EgyptAir was established on 7 June 1932 and started operations in July 1933 using a Spartan Cruiser on the Cairo-Alexandria route. The plane could only seat 4 (including a pilot and co-pilot). It was founded in association with the Airwork Company under the name of Misr Airwork. In 1935 12 De Havilland aircraft were added to the fleet. During the Second World War the Egyptian government took charge of the airline and its name was changed to Misr Air in 1949. In January 1961 Misr Air joined Syrian Airways to form United Arab Airlines (UAA) as a result of new political links between Egypt and Syria, but this accord was shortlived, lasting only 10 years. It retained the name for a time until it changed to EgyptAir in October 1971. EgyptAir was the first airline in the Middle East to operate jetliners. In 2002, EgyptAir became a Holding Company with nine subsidiaries to date.

Operations

EgyptAir is a state owned company with special legislation permitting the management to operate as if the company were privately owned without any interference from the government. The company is self-financing without any financial backing by the Egyptian government. The airline reported a profit of £EGP303 million in 2003/2004, £EGP443 million in 2004/2005 and £EGP485million in 2005/2006. The airline's financial year is from July to June.

EgyptAir wholly owns EgyptAir Express and Air Sinai. The airline also has stakes in Air Cairo (40%) and Smart Aviation Company (20%). It has 20,734 employees (at March 2007).

In 2006/2007, EgyptAir's passenger traffic increased by 12% to 6.5 million passengers.

In 2006 Skytrax rated EgyptAir a 3 Star Quality Certified Airline.

In June 2007 the airline launched its new regional subsidiary called EgyptAir Express with a fleet of new Embraer E-170s. The new subsidiary connects Cairo to the domestic airports of Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada, Luxor, Aswan, Marsa Alam, Abu Simbel and Alexandria in addition to regional international services to complement the parent company's operations. In February 2008 during the Singapore Airshow, the airline converted 6 options for the Embraer E-170 to firm orders for 2009 delivery.

On the 16th of October 2007 the Chief Executive Board of Star Alliance voted to accept EgyptAir as a future member. The airline has forged commercial and cooperative agreements with several members of Star Alliance includng Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Thai Airways International, Swiss International Airlines, South African Airways, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines and bmi. Assimilation into the alliance is expected in 2008.

The carrier is also a founding member of Arabesk Airline Alliance.

In 2008 the airline's operations at its hub airport, Cairo International, will get a major overhaul as the new Terminal 3 is inaugurated. The airline will transfer all its operations (international and domestic) to the terminal which will more than double the airport's capacity. In order to implement the Star Alliance “Move under one Roof” concept at Cairo Airport, all Star Alliance member carriers flying to Cairo will move to the new Terminal 3. Talks to this effect are already underway with the airport authorities in order to ensure the creation of another hub with an optimal customer experience.

EgyptAir Holding Company

The EgyptAir Holding Company was created in 2002 with 7 companies (2 were added at later dates):

• EgyptAir Airlines
• EgyptAir Maintenance & Engineering (EASA Part 145 Certified)
• EgyptAir Ground Services
• EgyptAir Cargo
• EgyptAir Inflight Services
• EgyptAir Tourism & Duty Free Shops
• EgyptAir Medical Services
• EgyptAir Supplementary Industries Company (formed in 2006)
• EgyptAir Express (launched in June 2007)

Subsidiaries

The airline also has stakes in:

• Air Cairo (40%)
• Smart Aviation Company (20%)
• Air Sinai (100%)

Destinations

See full article: EgyptAir destinations (last update: March 2008)

Fleet

EgyptAir operates one of the industry's youngest airplane fleets, with an average age of 7.6 years. The EgyptAir fleet consists of the following aircraft as of March 2008

Codeshare agreements

EgyptAir has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

Incidents and accidents

Fatal events include:

• On 25 December 1976, EgyptAir Flight 864 crashed into an industrial complex in Bangkok, Thailand. Twenty of the 52 on board were killed, and 72 on the ground were killed.
• On 23 November 1985, EgyptAir Flight 648, a Boeing 737 aircraft was hijacked to Luqa, Malta by three men from Abu Nidal group. Omar Rezaq was among them. After several hours of negotiations, Egyptian troops stormed the aircraft and battled with the hijackers, who threw several hand grenades and shot five Israeli and American passengers in the head. The aircraft was severely damaged by the explosions and fire. Two of the six crew members and 59 of the 90 passengers were killed.
• On 31 October 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990, a Boeing 767 flying between John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City and Cairo, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Nantucket. The pilot, Gameel Al-Batouti, was suspected by U.S. authorities of committing suicide and intentionally crashing the plane. Egyptian officials have strongly disputed that claim..
• On 7 May 2002, EgyptAir Flight 843 crash-landed in heavy rain, fog, and a sandstorm on its approach to Tunis, killing 15 of 64 occupants.

References

1. "EgyptAir (MS) Airline Information".
2. ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. p. 76.
3. Amirah Ibrahim (2007-10-24). "Egypt in the sky with diamonds". Al-Ahram. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
4. NTSB Group Chairman's Factual Report, January 18, 2000
5. Boeing
6. "EgyptAir - Details and Fleet History". Retrieved 2007-11-12.
7. "EgyptAir Code Share Partners". 2007-1. Retrieved 2007-11-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
8. "Egyptair disasters". Retrieved 2007-11-12.
9. "Accident Photo: EgyptAir 864". Retrieved 2007-11-12.
10. "1985: Commandos storm hijacked plane". Retrieved 2007-11-12.
11. "EgyptAir Flight 990 Accident Information". 2007-09-07. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
12. "Flight Safety Australia July/August 2002 - Globewatch" (PDF). Civil Aviation Safety Authority. Retrieved 2007-11-12.

External links

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• Official site
• Fleet Age
• Fleet
• EgyptAir to Integrate Boeing 737-800s into Fleet (1)
• Egyptair's First Boeing 737-800 Delivery
• Egyptair Expanding Services
• Egyptair adds 12 new aircraft to its fleet
• Egyptair Orders 8 Airbus A-330 Aircraft

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• Airlines of Egypt
• IATA members
• Airlines established in 1932