Hussein Massoud, the Chairman and CEO of EgyptAir Holding company, signing a contract on operating a Cairo-Taba route.

Under the auspices of Egypt's Minister of Civil Aviation Ahmed Sahfiq and in the presence of CEO and Chairman of EgyptAir Holding Company Hussein Massoud, a co-operation agreement with cost sharing was recently signed between EgyptAir Express and Egypt's ministry of Tourism, South Sinai Governorate and Taba Investors Association, for operating two flights a week on a new regular air route between Cairo and Taba in Sinai for enhancing travel and business traffic.

Massoud said that the route was aimed at boosting investment in the Sinai Peninsula, whose development is readily sought by the Government in order to improve the living standards of its inhabitants. He added that the national carrier EgyptAir was keen to add more domestic or international destinations to strengthen the link between EgyptAir network and Star Alliance. For his part, Safieddine Badwi, the Chairman of EgyptAir Express, made clear that the company has a fleet of 12 Embraer 170, to boost the seat capacity by 34 per cent and increase flight hours by 30 per cent compared to last year. "There is a remarkable increase in the passengers' numbers this year by 24 per cent in comparison to last year, in addition to profits grossed this year, estimated at around LE15 million," he added.