Egyptair
| File:Egyptair logo.jpg | |||||||
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| Founded | 1932 (as Misr Airwork) | ||||||
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| Hubs | Cairo International Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | EgyptAir Plus | ||||||
| Alliance | Arab Air Carriers Organization | ||||||
| Fleet size | 38 | ||||||
| Destinations | 66 | ||||||
| Parent company | EgyptAir Airlines Company | ||||||
| Headquarters |  Cairo, Egypt | ||||||
| Key people | Eng Atef Abd El Hamid (CEO) | ||||||
| Website | http://www.egyptair.com.eg | ||||||
EgyptAir (Arabic: مصر للطيران, Misr Al-Tairan) is the Cairo-based national airline of Egypt. Wholly owned by the Egyptian government, it operates scheduled services to over 50 destinations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Far East, the USA, and formerly to Australia, as well as domestic services. Its main base is Cairo International Airport.
EgyptAir is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization.
History
The airline was established on 7 June 1932 and started operations in July 1933. It was founded in association with the Airwork Company under the name of Misr Airwork. 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. 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 jet liners. It employs about 22,000 people and claimed total worldwide revenues in fiscal year 2000 of US $1,000 M, with profits of US $35 M. The airline was restructured in 2002 to improve efficiency (ref:A new take-off?)
EgyptAir wholly owns Air Sinai and has a stake in Air Cairo (60%).
EgyptAir will launch a regional jet division in April 2007. The new subsidiary called EgyptAir Express will operate six EMB 170 in 1st quarter of 2007. A further six EMB 170 are also held on option.
Destinations
see full article: EgyptAir destinations.
Fleet
The EgyptAir fleet consists of the following aircraft (at December 2006):
- 12 Airbus A320-200
- 3 Airbus A321-200
- 7 Airbus A330-200
- 3 Airbus A340-200
- 3 Boeing 737-500
- 2 Boeing 737-800
- 5 Boeing 777-200
Future Egyptair fleet (aircraft on order):
- 10 Boeing 737-800 on order (the 6 options were converted to firm orders on 01/10/06)
- 6 Embraer E-170 on order plus 6 options
Egyptair Cargo fleet:
Incidents and accidents
Notable fatal events include:
- On 19 March 1972, EgyptAir Flight 763 crashed in Vietnam killing all 30 passengers on board.
- On 25 December 1979, EgyptAir Flight 864 crashed into an industrial complex in Bangkok, Thailand, after crew failed to correct the descent rate. 20 of the 52 on board were killed. Another 72 on the ground were killed in the crash.
- 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 58 of the 91 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.
External links
