Egypt Air Plans to place Aircraft Orders

Egypt Air (MS, Cairo Int'l) plans to place major aircraft orders in the next two months in spite of mounting losses. Speaking to AIN Online, EgyptAir chairman and chief executive Hossam Kamal said his airline had not placed any orders at the recent Dubai Airshow as a response to the malaise facing Egypt’s vital tourism sector. “We have an expansion plan to reach 127 aircraft by 2025, 32 of them widebodies,” said Kamal. “We are planning to take the A330-200s out of the fleet by 2018, and to replace them with the A350 or the B787-8. [We will announce an order] within a month or two maximum. Time is running [out]. We miss slots if we are late.” Backed by the Egyptian government, Egyptair has racked up almost USD1billion in losses since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in 2011. With international tourism suffering the most, Egyptair has been forced to reorientate its strategy with the amelioration of connectivity in Africa now a key company goal.