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Aviation History
1988
1988 - 2052.PDF
ffS Egypt's rising star Egypt needs more domestic and international airline capacity than it has today, and independent carrier ZAS Airline of Egypt is expanding rapidly to fill the gap. David Learmount talks to ZAS president Sharif Zarkani. In countries where a national carrier is dominant, independent airlines often have to be content with finding the neglected niches in the market and operating with appropriate commercial skills, feeling like a squash player when everybody is watching polo. Egyptair may be the polo player, but the Egyptian Government, has allowed an addi tional team to take up position. ZAS Airline of Egypt is the new team. It entered the business only six years ago, but as far as the Government is concerned ZAS has won its spurs, and last December the carrier was licensed for its first international scheduled passenger service, Cairo-Amsterdam. Progress to this point had followed stages which, from ZAS's point of view, had been logical in setting up a business, and from the Egyptian Government's point of view had been appropriately formal. "They were watching to see if we deserved to be allowed to expand," explains ZAS president Sharif Zarkani. "Our opportunities were limited until we had demonstrated our competence in all respects, and we did not apply for anything until we were ready." The stages could basically be described as award of a cargo charter licence in 1982, a scheduled charter licence the following year, and a scheduled passenger licence in 1987. Egyptair's fleet expansion plans are fairly conservative in a part of the world where air travel prospects are positively good (Flight, July 23, page 30). One suspects that the Government, faced like governments all over the world these days, whatever their political colour, with the frightening investment demands made by the need for airline expan sion, are relieved to see private money enter ing the total air transport resources of their country. What does Zarkani think is Egyptair's reaction to the new situation? "It would like to be the only airline, like any national carrier," he remarks. But Egypt has 62 bilat erally agreed international routes, Zarkani points out, and Egyptair operates on only 40 of them. On many of the 40 operated, he adds, Egyptair is unable to take up the full 50 per cent capacity. to which it is entitled. "General Rayan's fleet is not enough to cope with half the future," ZAS's new international passenger schedules are flown currently using a refitted Boeing 707, and below, its extensive cargo network uses 707 freighters. All are hushkitted 30 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 6 August 1988
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