The Tanzania transport sector is preparing to welcome Egypt Air back in June, five years after the carrier stopped its operations in the country.
The carrier ended its operations in Tanzania partially because of their small fleet and limited flight service, however, according to a recent report by the Daily News, the Egypt Air Country Manager, Wael ElDemerdash announced that the airline is planning to comeback in June stronger than ever.
“We are coming back strong with four Dar-Cairo flights on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday,” said Mr. ElDemerdash, “It is both a political and a business decision, since the market in this country is growing fast. The move will definitely strengthen the relationship between our two countries.”
In a 2007 meeting between the Tanzania Vice-President, Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein, and the Egyptian President, Hosin Mubarak, the two leaders agreed to re-establish the presence of the airline in the country.
Since then, the Egyptian airline has studied the market for Tanzania air transport and, according to Mr. ElDemerdash, the findings indicate that the market is dynamic.
“A lot of Egyptians are coming to Tanzania and vice versa,” said Mr. ElDemerdash, “so there is good trade between these two countries.”
Originally, Egypt Air had plans to open four new destinations, but has decided to continue with plans for only one destination, Dar es Salaam.
“Dar es Salaam has a big business potential, our countries have good relations and Tanzania is a growing market,” explained Mr. ElDemerdash, “The presence of Egypt Air here will also increase the number of tourist coming here from all over the world and strengthen the overall economy of both countries.”
Egypt Air was reformed in 2004 and has since become one of the leading carriers on the African continent.
In addition to having some of the latest technology in its operations and services, Egypt Air will also be operating with some of latest models of Boeing 737/800 aircrafts.
“Our fleet consists of new airplanes, as it is our policy to buy brand new aircrafts and sell them once they reach eight years, so they are all under eight years of usage,” he explained.
Following its comeback to Tanzania, Egypt Air has announced that it has plans to help the Tanzania national carrier, Air Tanzania, recover its footing with various trade agreements between the two carriers.
“We are keen to do business with Air Tanzania,” said Mr. ElDemerdash, “There are many aspects, such as the co-share agreements and other agreements to help trade between the two airlines.”
