Transportation Industry

Company Watch - EgyptAir

AirGuide Business, July 14, 2008

7/14/2008

EgyptAir's fleet of 50 aircraft is scheduled to increase to 75 by 2013. It carried more than 6.8 million passengers in the 10 months ended April 30, up 20% year-over-year. 7/14/2008

EgyptAir has expanded its fleet from 32 aircraft in 2003 to 50 today and plans to operate up to 75 by 2011. Three new 737-800s will be added this year with another five of the type slated to arrive in early 2009. It will double its E-170 fleet to 12 next year as well. Eight 777-300ERs will be delivered between 2010 and 2012. It expects to carry 7.8 million passengers this year and hopes to grow the figure to 11 million by 2011. 7/10/2008

EgyptAir, now a Star Alliance member, serves 14 destinations in Africa and soon will add Dar Es Salaam, Abidjan and Conakry to its network. A new terminal capable of handling 11 million passengers annually will open in Cairo in November and be used exclusively by Star member carriers. 7/10/2008

EgyptAir and South African Airways are Africa's largest carriers in terms of capacity, fleet and passengers, followed by Royal Air Maroc, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines. Star Alliance holds a 22% market share in Africa, followed by SkyTeam's 17% and oneworld with just 7%. Star is evaluating the possibility that EgyptAir and South African Airways might cooperate to create transfer points in Central Africa to boost intra-continental travel. South African Airways still is reconstructing its own network. The alliance also is reshuffling its schedule in Cairo to create more efficient flight connections and will benefit when the airport's new dedicated Terminal 3 opens this fall with the capacity to serve 11 million passengers per year. The 11 Star members currently serving Africa fly to 78 destinations in 36 countries. The alliance is discussing membership with Ethiopian, which is working on bilateral agreements with alliance members like Lufthansa. 7/14/2008

EgyptAir officially became Star's 21st member Friday following a nine-month integration period. "The economic and business climate of Africa is getting the world's attention. Star Alliance is well positioned to serve the business interests of the continent by having EgyptAir in the north, South African Airways in the south and nine other member airlines flying to Africa," Albrecht said in a statement. Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht said during the EgyptAir induction ceremony in Cairo that Star is committed to increasing its presence in Africa and better coordinating the continent's fragmented network. 7/14/2008

EgyptAir will become Star Alliance's 21st member today in a ceremony in Cairo. The carrier said it fulfilled all minimum requirements to become a Star member in fewer than nine months. It hopes to benefit from feed provided by Star members to bring further traffic to Cairo and Star hopes to be able to extend its presence in Africa via its newest member. 7/10/2008

Lufthansa Systems signed a contract with EgyptAir for implementation of its SchedConnect codeshare management solution. Scheduled to be introduced in a few weeks, the technology is expected to help fulfill Star Alliance membership requirements. Features include schedule synchronization and codeshare integration. 7/8/2008

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