EgyptAir Express expects to regain ground lost in revolution and expand next year

EgyptAir Express will be back at pre-revolution levels when next summer's timetables are released in April according to the airline's general manager of planning Ehab Ghazy.

Speaking at the African Airline Connectivity conference in Nairobi, Ghazy said several of the 18 routes operated by the regional carrier had been suspended, “But they will be back on the timetables next April and we will be adding to them.”

Ghazy said EgyptAir Express’s role of adding frequency to EgyptAir’s domestic routes had been a success. “Where the airline had been focusing on one flight in the early morning and one late evening to connect with the international flights, we were able to focus on more flights during the day which led to people being able to come to Cairo for business and go back again at sensible times.

“We use the Embraer E170 and that lets us do routes that would be unviable in the larger aircraft from EgyptAir.”

With load factors of almost 90%, EgyptAir Express was hailed as a success story by delegates at the seminar. And there is more to come.

Ghazy said that Express was now carrying out some of the thin international routes for the main line. “Budapest is a good example,” he said. The airline has also added Alexandria to Beirut and is anticipating operations from Benghazi once the Libyan civil war ends.

Ghazy also attributed much of the success to Star Alliance. “The Star Alliance brand works for us on the domestic market and people see that relationship as important. We now see something like 36% of our passengers coming from the Alliance and it allows the alliance members to reach the main touristic spots in Egypt.”