EgyptAir

EgyptAir (Arabic: مصر للطيران, Miṣr liṬ-Ṭayarān) is the flag carrier airline of Egypt and a member of Star Alliance. The airline is based at Cairo International Airport, its main hub, operating scheduled passenger and freight services to more than 75 destinations in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. An extensive network of domestic services is focused on Cairo, Egypt's capital.

Egypt Air is Africa's largest airline, joining Star Alliance on 11 July 2008. The company is headquartered in the EgyptAir Administrative Complex on the grounds of Cairo International Airport in Cairo. The airline's logo is Horus, the sky deity in ancient Egyptian mythology, usually depicted as a falcon or a man with the head of a falcon. The airline has taken Horus as its logo because of its ancient symbolism as a "winged god of the sun".

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 underwent a major corporate re-engineering in 2002, when its structure was changed from a governmental organization into a holding company with subsidiaries. The move coincided with establishment of the Egyptian Minister of Civil Aviation and the government's ambitious strategy to modernize and upgrade its airports and airline. The airline was given the right to operate without any interference from the government and the duty to do so without any financial backing

Egypt Air wholly owns EgyptAir Express and Air Sinai. The airline has stakes in Air Cairo (60%) and Smart Aviation Company (20%). As of June 2007, the EgyptAir Holding Company had 20,734 employees of which 7,600 worked in EgyptAir Airlines (the airline subsidiary of the group).

In 2004, Egypt Air became the first IOSA certified airline in Africa. In 2006, Skytrax, the UK-based airline consultancy service, rated EgyptAir as a "3 Star Quality Certified Airline".

In 2007, EgyptAir's passenger traffic increased by 21% to 7.8 million passengers.

The airline launched a regional subsidiary called EgyptAir Express with a fleet of new Embraer E-170 jets. The carrier links Cairo with Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada, Luxor, Aswan, Marsa Alam, Abu Simbel and Alexandria (Egypt) in addition to secondary regional destinations to complement the parent company's pattern of service. In June 2009 the subsidiary received the last of the 12 Embraer E-170 aircraft on order.

The Egypt Air Holding Company has recorded substantial profits in past years, reaching US$170 million during the 2007/2008 financial year. This is fortified by huge assets of more than US$3.8 billion. The airline's financial year is from July to June. For the fiscal year ending 31 July 2007, EgyptAir achieved a record total revenue of US$1,143 billion. Total group revenue grew by 14%, as compared with the previous year.

In early 2007, the airline partnered with the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation and 'Egyptian Holding Company for Airports & Air Navigation' to form a new corporate airline, Smart Aviation Company, based at Cairo Airport.

On October 16, 2007 the Chief Executive Board of Star Alliance voted to accept EgyptAir as a future member. The airline had already forged commercial and cooperative agreements with several members of the Star Alliance by then, including Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Thai Airways International, Swiss International Airlines, South African Airways, Turkish Airlines and bmi. Nine months after being invited as a future member (a record time by any airline joining an alliance), EgyptAir became the 21st member of Star Alliance in a ceremony held in Cairo on 11 July 2008.

In 2008, EgyptAir's passenger traffic increased by 6% to 8.2 million passengers.

In 2009, EgyptAir's operations at its Cairo International Airport hub (where it holds 61% of the airport's departure slots) were notably overhauled due to the inauguration of the new Terminal 3 in April 2009. The airline transferred all its operations (international and domestic) to the new terminal that has more than doubled the airport's capacity. Under the Star Alliance “Move Under One Roof” concept at Cairo Airport, all Star Alliance member carriers serving Cairo, have moved to the new Terminal 3. In 2010 the airline will overhaul operations at its Alexandria base by transferring operations from the older facilities at Alexandria International Airport to the brand new airport in Borg El Arab Airport. The airline's CEO also stated the company was evaluating whether to set up a low cost carrier subsidiary for its Alexandria operations to address the growth of LCCs in the city.

During the 2009 Paris Airshow, the airline announced a new venture with US lessor Aviation Capital Group (ACG) and other Egyptian private and public shareholders to establish a leasing joint venture focusing on the Middle East and Northern Africa region. The new joint venture - named Civil Aviation Finance and Operating Leases (CIAF-Leasing) will initially focus on narrowbody aircraft. On 10 March 2010 the airline took delivery of its largest aircraft, the Boeing 777-300ER in Cairo Airport, with a seat capacity of 346. The aircraft is equipped with a new on-board product and the largest business cabin to-date. This is the first aircraft to enter the fleet on an operating leasee (from GECAS). All other mainline aircraft are owned. The airline is initially operating the aircraft to London Heathrow and Tokyo Narita followed by John F. Kennedy International Airport from 31 October 2010. In August 2010 EgyptAir will also receive another new aircraft type, the Airbus A330-300, which will replace the Boeing 777-300ER on the London Heathrow route from 1 September 2010.

The carrier is a founding member of Arabesk Airline Alliance and the Arab Air Carriers Organization.

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


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

The three carriers (EgyptAir Airlines, EgyptAir Express & EgyptAir Cargo) operate under the same AOC but are managed separately and have their own profit and loss accounts.

Subsidiaries
The airline has stakes in:
 * Air Cairo (60%)
 * Smart Aviation Company (13.33%)
 * Air Sinai (100%)
 * Egypt Aero Management Service (50%)
 * LSG Sky Chefs Catering Egypt (70%)
 * Civil Aviation Finance and Operating Leases - 'CIAF-Leasing' (Ownership % - TBD)

Destinations


As of July 2011 EgyptAir serve 73 destinations; 10 in Egypt, 17 in Africa, 17 +3 in the Middle East, 7 in Asia, 21 in Europe and 1 in the Americas.

Codeshare agreements
Other than subsidiaries and franchisees EgyptAir have codeshare agreements with the following airlines and some fellow Star Alliance partners, as at October 2011:

* Star Alliance member

Fleet
As of February 2012, the EgyptAir fleet consists of the following aircraft:

EgyptAir wet leases additional aircraft to meet peak season passenger demand such as during the summer, during Ramadan and for special Hajj and Umrah operations.

Head office
EgyptAir is headquartered in the EgyptAir Administrative Complex on the grounds of Cairo International Airport in Cairo. The complex is located on the grounds of Cairo International Airport.

Incidents and accidents

 * On 1 October 1956, Vickers Viscount SU-AIC of Misrair was written off at Almaza Airport, Cairo, during an air raid by Royal Air Force Canberras of 12(B) Squadron as part of Operation Musketeer.
 * On 29 September 1960, Vickers Viscount SU-AKW on United Arab Airlines Flight 738 broke up in mid-air and crashed 27.5 kilometres (17.1 mi) north of Elba. All 23 people on board were killed.
 * On 27 July 1963 a de Havilland Comet on United Arab Airlines Flight 869 crashed into the sea on approach to Bombay Airport, India, all 62 on board killed.
 * On 23 February 1964, Vickers Viscount SU-AKX of United Arab Airlines was damaged beyond economic repair in a heavy landing at Beirut International Airport.
 * On 15 January 1968, Douglas DC-3 SU-AJG of United Arab Airlines departed from Cairo International Airport on an international scheduled cargo flight to Beirut International Airport, Lebanon, when the crew decided to return due to icing. The aircraft subsequently broke up in mid-air and crashed at Zifta, killing all four people on board. The cargo shifting in flight and the aircraft being 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) overloaded may have contributed to the accident.
 * On 19 March 1972 EgyptAir Flight 763 crashed into a mountain on approach to Aden International Airport in Yemen killing all 30 passengers and crew on board.
 * On 29 January 1973, the 1973 Ilyushin Il-18 SU-AOV crashed into the Pentadaktylos mountain range on approach to Nicosia International Airport (Cyprus), killing all 37 aboard (7 crew and 30 passengers).
 * On 25 December 1976, EgyptAir Flight 864 crashed into an industrial complex in Bangkok, Thailand. All 52 persons on board plus 19 people on the ground were killed.
 * On 23 November 1985, EgyptAir Flight 648 operated by a Boeing 737 was hijacked to Malta International Airport by three men from the Abu Nidal terrorist group. Omar Rezaq was among them. An Egyptian Sky Marshall on board shot and killed one of the hijackers before being gunned down himself. After several hours of negotiations, Egyptian troops stormed the aircraft and battled with the hijackers, who threw several hand grenades and shot / killed five Israeli and US passengers. 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 New York City and Cairo, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Nantucket, all 217 passengers were killed. The relief first officer of the flight, 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, a Boeing 737-500, crashed into terrain in heavy rain, fog, and a sandstorm on its approach to Tunis, Tunisia, killing 15 of 64 occupants.