Egyptair to resume operations on the Cairo-Dar route in June 09

Egyptair to fly to Dar in June after 15 year absence

Egyptair will resume operations on the Cairo-Dar es Salaam route in June, after a study of the market declared it “dynamic.”

“It is both a political and a business decision, since the market in Tanzania is growing fast. The move will definitely strengthen the relationship between our two countries,” said Wael EL Demerdash, Egyptair country manager for Tanzania. The airline suspended operations in Tanzania in 1994.
The airline’s comeback was initiated by the visit of Tanzania’s Vice-President Ali Mohamed Shein to Egypt in 2007, where he met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and the latter agreed to look into resumption of the carrier’s operations in Tanzania.

More Egyptians are now travelling to Tanzania and vice versa, so there is good trade between these two countries,” said Mr EL Demerdash. Egyptair had planned to open four destinations in Africa this year, but postponed and chose to reopen the Dar es Salaam route due to the big business potential the country is currently experiencing.

Mr EL Demerdash said the airline will operate direct flights every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and travellers from Tanzania to other parts of the world will connect through the Star Alliance network of which the airline is a member.

Star Alliance has 21 carriers, with a network of 69 cities in 52 countries.

The presence of Egyptair in Tanzania is expected to channel more tourists into the country from other regions of the world.

The managing director of the Tanzania Tourist Board Peter Mwenguo told The EastAfrican that Egyptair’s presence in Dar es Salaam will offer tourists and travellers from the US easier access.

Mr Mwenguo said the increasing popularity of Tanzania as a tourist destination in the US has created an urgent demand for an increase in seat capacity and number of trans-Atlantic carriers serving Tanzania.

The announcement of the return of the airline was marked at a ceremony at the Movenpick Royal Palm Hotel, in Dar es Salaam, and was officiated by the Egyptian ambassador to Tanzania, Wael Adel Nasr.

The resumption of operations is timely since Egypt will be hosting the Africa Travel Association’s (34th Annual Congress in Cairo from May 17-22.

The Congress, to be hosted by the Egyptian Tourism will bring together stakeholders in the travel and tourism industry, from African tourism ministers and directors of national tourism boards to travel agents, tour operators, heads of non-governmental organisations, scholars and the media.

The Congress will discuss the local and global challenges of global tourism promotion in Africa.

“ATA is looking forward to engaging with the world’s leading travel and tourism specialists to bring the world to Africa,” said ATA executive director Edward Bergman.

Egypt has had considerable ties with ATA. Following a lull in tourism in the 1990s, the industry in the country has boomed in rcent times, providing the largest source of foreign currency - TheEastAfrican/Business -posted Monday, May 11 2009 at 19:21