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Founded | 7 June 1932 | (as Misr Airlines)||||||
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Commenced operations | July 1933 | ||||||
Hubs | Cairo International Airport | ||||||
Focus cities | |||||||
Frequent-flyer program | EgyptAir Plus | ||||||
Alliance | Star Alliance | ||||||
Subsidiaries | |||||||
Fleet size | 45 | ||||||
Destinations | 73 | ||||||
Company slogan | Enjoy the Sky (Arabic: تمتع بالسماء) | ||||||
Parent company | EgyptAir Holding Company | ||||||
Headquarters | EgyptAir Administrative Complex Cairo, Egypt |
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Key people |
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Employees | 9,000 (December 2014) | ||||||
Website | egyptair |
EgyptAir (Arabic: مصر للطيران, Miṣr liṭ-Ṭayarān) is the flag carrier airline of Egypt. 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. With an extensive network of domestic services focused on Cairo, Egypt's capital, the airline is working to regain profitable operations following the revolution of 2011. Egyptair is a member of Star Alliance, having joined on 11 July 2008 and also of Arabesk Airline Alliance and the Arab Air Carriers Organization.
Alan Muntz, chairman of Airwork, visited Egypt in 1931; at that time, he expressed his intention of starting up a new airline in the country. The new enterprise was named Misr Airwork, with ″Misr″ being the Egyptian for Egypt. On 31 December 1931, the government granted the new company the exclusivity of air transport operations. A division of Misr Airwork named Misr Airlines was established on 7 June 1932, ″to promote the spirit of aviation among Egyptian youth″, becoming the seventh carrier in the world. The headquarters of Misr Airwork, S.A.E. was in Almaza Aerodrome, Heliopolis, Cairo.
The initial investment was EG£20,000, with ownership split between the Misr Bank (85%), Airwork (10%), and Egyptian private investors (5%). Operations started in July 1933, initially linking Cairo with Alexandria and Mersa Matruh using de Havilland DH.84 Dragon equipment. By August that year, the frequency on the Cairo–Alexandria service had been boosted to twice-daily. In late 1933, a twice-weekly Cairo–Aswan flight that called at Asyut and Luxor was inaugurated. Via Port Said, a flight from Cairo that served Lydda, Haifa and Palestine was launched in 1934. On 3 August 1935, a test service via Lydda with final destination in Cyprus began using D.H.86 aircraft; the run was terminated on 20 October that year. The Alexandria–Port Said–Cairo–Minia–Assiut run was opened in late 1935. During 1935, the airline carried 6,990 passengers and 21,830 kilograms (48,130 lb) of freight; for the year, these regular services flew 419,467 miles (675,067 km).