Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Egyptair announces new Dubai service

Egyptair has announced it will launch a non-stop service from Dubai to Cairo starting June 18, 2010. The new daily service will be served with a new B777-300ER, the airline said.

Source

Monday, May 24, 2010

Wataniya Airways to start Alexandria flight from June 2010

Wataniya Airways from 01JUN10 begins 4 weekly Kuwait – Alexandria service in Egypt. Flight operates to/from Borg el Arab airport.

Schedule below:

KW331 KWI0730 – 1030HBE 320 x357
KW332 HBE1115 – 1405KWI 320 x357

Source


FlyDubai launch Assiut

Flydubai from 24MAY10 launches 3 weekly Dubai – Assiut in Egypt.

Dubai – Assiut
FZ181 DXB0030 – 0315ATZ 73H 135
FZ182 ATZ0400 – 0835DXB 73H 135

Source

Lufthansa 747 to Cairo in Winter 2010

As per 13MAY10 GDS timetable display, Lufthansa in Winter 2010 season is to operate Boeing 747-400 aircraft on Frankfurt – Cairo route. However, overall service reduce from 2 Daily to 1, which is identical to 2009 Winter but was operated by Airbus A340-600.

Source

EGYPTAIR W10 Operation Update: 777-300ER to New York

EGYPTAIR has further adjusted its planned 2010 Winter operation. Notable changes includes Boeing 777-300ER entering operation on New York market from January 2011.

As per 20MAY10 GDS timetable display, changes as follows:

Cairo – Abuja Operational day change. Eff 31OCT10 operates Day x136 instead of Day x367 (Abuja departs following day)
Cairo – London Heathrow MS777/778 continues to operate with NEW Airbus A330-300, which begins from 01SEP10
Cairo – New York JFK Boeing 777-300ER replace -200ER from 01JAN11
Cairo – Tokyo Narita Increase from 6 weekly to Daily from 01MAR11, 777-300ER operating

Source

Turkish Airlines launch Alexandria from June 2010; increase Cairo from July 2010

Turkish Airlines from 19JUNE10 launches 4 weekly Istanbul – Alexandria service with Boeing 737-800. In addition, service on Istanbul – Cairo route is increasing from 14 to 17 weekly from 03JULY10.

With this latest expansion to Egyptian market, overall service increases from 14 to 21 weekly.

Istanbul – Alexandria
TK696 IST0030 – 0230ALY 738 x357
TK697 ALY0340 – 0540IST 738 x357

Istanbul – Cairo Schedules of new flights
TK694 IST1650 – 1905CAI 738 136
TK695 CAI2005 – 2220IST 738 136

Source

Alitalia A330 to Cairo during Summer peak season

As per 24MAY10 GDS timetable display, Alitalia from 05JUN10 to 29AUG10 is to operate Airbus A330-200 aircraft on Rome – Cairo service twice a week. Planned operation as follows:

AZ894/895 01JUN10 – 28AUG10 Day 6 (except 12JUN10; AZ895 departs CAI following day)
AZ896/897 15JUN10 – 28AUG10 Day 7

Source

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Flydubai launches flights to Luxor, Egypt

Low-cost airline, Flydubai has begun flying to to its fifteenth destination, the ancient Egyptian city of Luxor from Dubai International Airport's Terminal 2. Luxor is the airline's second destination in Egypt after Alexandria and will be followed on Monday, May 24, by its third, Assiut, the largest town in Upper Egypt.

Source

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Air Arabia Egypt route update

The newest Egyptian airline, Air Arabia Egypt, received its AOC today and will launch HBE-KRT from 01JUN and HBE-KWI from 02JUN.

HBE KWI E5551 23:15 02:00 1-3-5-7 A320 0
KWI HBE E5552 02:40 05:45 12-4-6- A320 0

HBE KRT E5617 09:35 12:15 -2---6- A320 0
KRT HBE E5618 12:55 15:40 -2---6- A320 0

Source: Horus

Thursday, May 20, 2010

AlMasria Universal Airline to start Alexandria-Jeddah

Although the airline announced they will start Cairo-Jeddah, they have changed plans and will start Alexandria-Jeddah instead from 31MAY10. I expect the current Egypt-KSA saga played a role in this.
AlMasria's schedule:
ALY JED UJ903 02:45 05:00 1234567 2:15 A320 0
JED ALY UJ904 06:30 08:55 1234567 2:25 A320 0

The airline will face stiff competition on the route from MS and 3 Saudi carriers:
  • EgyptAir: 7x weekly ALY-JED with A320
  • Saudi Arabian: 5x weekly JED-ALY with A320
  • Nasair: 12x weekly JED-HBE with A320/E190
  • Sama:7x weekly JED-HBE with B733
Source: Horus

EgyptAir schedule news

EgyptAir First A330-300 Flight Published

Today EgyptAir have updated their schedule and now show the first A330-300 will start flights on 01SEP10 on the CAI-LHR route (MS777/778). The configuration is actually 36C/265Y for a total of 301 seats (previously reported as 36C/260Y).
The airline is also requesting slots to increase CAI-LHR from 8 to 10x weekly flights this winter (likewise for CDG).

EgyptAir Confirm Tokyo Flight Increase

01MAY10-31AUG10: 3x weekly B77W flights.
01SEP10-29FEB11: 6x weekly B77W flights (a/c taken from LHR which become an A333 service).
01MAR11 onwards: 7x weekly (daily) B77W flights.

Source: Horus

Cairo Airport Moves Forward

A Decade ago, few passengers traveling through Cairo International were eager to repeat the experience. Back then, baksheesh (tips) for routine services, dirty toilets and flight delays were the norm. Read More...

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Egyptair considers new routes to North America.

EgyptAir eyes Chicago, Toronto and Washington with new 777-300ERs
Brendan Sobie, Sao Paulo

EgyptAir plans to launch service to new North American destinations next year after it takes delivery of its last pair of Boeing 777-300ERs.

The Star Alliance carrier in March took delivery of the first of six new 777-300ERs, which it is temporarily using on its daily Cairo-London Heathrow service. EgyptAir has since added a second 777-300ER and placed the aircraft on its thrice weekly Cairo-Tokyo service.

EgyptAir group chairman and CEO Hussein Massoud says the carrier's next two 777-300ERs are scheduled to be delivered in November and December of this year and will be used on its Cairo-New York JFK service. He adds the last two 777-300ERs from its six-aircraft acquisition will be delivered in 2011 and used on new North American routes.

"We are thinking either Washington, Chicago or Toronto," Massoud told ATI during a Star Alliance event in Sao Paulo.

Washington Dulles and Chicago O'Hare are hubs for Star Alliance member United Airlines while Toronto is a hub for Star member Air Canada. No carrier currently operates non-stop services between Cairo and Washington, Chicago or Toronto, according to schedules in Innovata.

New York JFK is currently EgyptAir's only destination in the Americas. The carrier operates one daily flight on the Cairo-New York JFK route with 777-200s.

While EgyptAir plans to use its last two 777-300ERs to expand its North American network, Massoud says the new 777-300ERs are mainly being acquired to replace the carrier's older 777-200s. EgyptAir owns five 777-200s, and last year hired German bank DVB's aviation asset management division to re-market three of these aircraft.

All six of the new 777-300ERs are being leased. The fist two 777-300ERs have been leased from GECAS.

While EgyptAir's first 777-300ER initially replaced the 777-200 used on its daily Cairo-London Heathrow service, Massoud says the carrier will later this year switch this flight to the Airbus A330-300. He says EgyptAir will take delivery in August of the first of five new A330-300s.

Massoud explains EgyptAir plans to use the 777-300ER that is now on the London route to increase its Tokyo Narita service from three to six weekly flights.

He says EgyptAir, which already operates seven A330-200s, will receive the other four A330-300s from its outstanding order next year. He says these will all be growth aircraft used to open new routes to Africa and the Far East.

EgyptAir already has unveiled plans to expand its network in eastern and western Africa with additional 737-800s. Last year the carrier decided to swap its 2008 order for two 777-300ERs, which would have expanded its 777-300ER fleet to eight aircraft in 2013, for eight additional 737-800s.

Massoud says four of these additional 737-800s will be delivered from September through December of this year. EgyptAir earlier this month unveiled plans to launch thrice weekly service to Copenhagen from 1 October using 737-800s. But Massoud says EgyptAir will mainly use its additional 737-800s to launch services within Africa.

EgyptAir is significantly expanding its African network as part of a project with Star to improve the alliance's connections throughout the continent. EgyptAir, which currently operates eight 737-800s, joined Star in 2008.

Source: Horus

Egypt won't allow Saudi budget flights

Egypt's aviation minister vowed on Monday that his country won't allow Saudi budget flights to land at Cairo's airport without a bilateral aviation agreement, voiding the open sky policy currently in place.

Ahmed Shafik told the parliament that that the measure was to protect the state owned airline, EgyptAir.

He described the open sky policy as "a big cheat," saying the unregulated flights of budget Saudi airlines SAMA and NAS was taking business away from the Egyptian carrier.

Egypt does not have budget airlines of its own.

The aviation flap comes during a period chilling ties between the countries.

In March Egypt banned the Kingdom's two budget airlines, SAMA and NAS, from landing in Cairo arguing that their cheap prices negatively affect Egyptian.

After the March order banning the Saudi flights, the kingdom responded by barring EgyptAir from flying to the holy city of Medina where tens of thousands of Egyptian pilgrims flock every year.

Source: Horus

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Cairo Airport Car park area Terminal 1 Development

Apparently Cairo Airport Company is changing Terminal's 1 car park area.
It looks like they are going to make a really nice green park.

Here is a billboard render at Cairo Airport:


(Click on Image for higher resolution)