By Mohamed Attia
New lines and many points were launched by EgyptAir in the past four months as part of its endeavor to cover global markets and attract new customers in support of travel and tourism, in accordance with the instructions of Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Abbas.
That period witnessed the launch by EgyptAir, under the leadership of Engineer Yehia Zakaria, many flights around the world.
On June 4, the national air carrier operated its first flight to the state of New Jersey, on board its latest Boeing B787-9 aircraft, which has a capacity of 309 seats. Equipped with personal screens, it is divided into 30 seats in business class and 279 seats in economy class.
The launch of this route comes from the standpoint of strengthening EgyptAir’s presence in the US market on a broader scale, as the company operates 3 weekly flights between Cairo and New Jersey on Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays, in addition to its daily flight from Cairo International Airport to New York and three flights to Washington.
On July 15, EgyptAir launched its first flight from Cairo International Airport to Manchester, United Kingdom, on its Boeing B737 800 aircraft – with 120 passengers on board.
Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Abbas confirmed that by operating the Manchester route, the total number of EgyptAir flights to the United Kingdom will be 20 weekly, with 14 flights to London, 5 flights to Manchester, and a flight from Luxor to Heathrow Airport in London, which gives a special advantage to the company’s customers to travel directly between Cairo and the most important British cities of London and Manchester.
On August 4, EgyptAir’s first direct flights took off from Cairo International Airport to the Indian capital of New Delhi, within the framework of EgyptAir’s strategy, which aims to increase the number of destinations and frequencies that the company reaches in the Asian continent, which is one of the regions with the highest growth in travel traffic, with the aim of creating marketing opportunities.
Engineer Yehia Zakaria, Chairman of the EgyptAir Holding Company, confirmed that in light of the noticeable and continuous increase in the volume of trade exchange and travel traffic between Egypt and India, EgyptAir operates direct flights to New Delhi, 4 flights per week on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Zakaria added that the new line represents an additional point for the EgyptAir network in the Asian continent, and the coming period will witness a study of operating more direct flights to save time and effort, which will make travelling on EgyptAir the preferred choice for many customers.
With the operation of the new line, the total number of EgyptAir flights will increase to India 9 flights per week, 5 flights to Mumbai and 4 flights to New Delhi.
On September 4, Guarulhos International Airport in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo received the first direct EgyptAir flight between Cairo and Sao Paulo, flight No. MS3910, using the company’s latest aircraft, the B787-9 Dreamliner. This flight is the first flight in the company’s history for this route.
On September 5, the first direct EgyptAir flight was operated to the city of Port Sudan, bearing the number MS856, carrying 120 passengers.
The airport authorities in Sudan received the plane by imitating spraying water on the plane to welcome the operation of this important route.
The operation of the new route came after the opening of the airspace to eastern Sudan, which supports the company’s ambitious plan towards expansion within the African continent.
On September 31, Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Abbas Helmy and the Japanese ambassador in Cairo witnessed the celebration ceremony for the re-launch of the first national company flight heading from Cairo International Airport to Narita Airport in the Japanese capital of Tokyo, after a stop that lasted for more than three years.
Minister Helmy thanked the Japanese government, the Japanese ambassador and all relevant parties for restarting the direct flight line between the two countries, which confirms the depth of the extended co-operation and partnership relations between Egypt and Japan.
He also noted that operating a regular, direct flight line is a point of communication between the peoples of the continents, and supports economic, investment and trade relations.
It will also provide the opportunity for many tourism companies and travel agents to organise tourist programmes and trips from Japan to Egyptian tourist destinations, especially with the approaching opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum.
The minister expressed his welcome for more cooperation and effective partnerships with the Japanese side in various air transport activities, especially in light of the development projects that the Egyptian state is witnessing during the current period, stressing the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s keenness to strengthen bilateral relations and stimulate air and tourism traffic in light of the fruitful cooperation between the two countries and praising the joint and continuous work with Japanese partners in various fields.
