File photo: Passengers preparing to leave the EgyptAir plane after landing. Photo courtesy of EgyptAir .
Financial performance indicators also improved during the 1Q of FY2023/2024 compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year, with the company's fleet increasing from 71 to 81 aircraft, Hemy added.
The number of destinations served by the airline also increased from 66 to 73. Total flights rose from over 9,500 to more than 10,000, a six percent increase. This contributed to the growth in available seat capacity on the aircraft from 3.4 million to 3.7 million, an eight percent increase.
More ambitious plans for growth
According to Helmy, Egypt's current aviation plan aims to expand the national airline's fleet by acquiring 28 new aircraft, including 18 Boeing B737-8 MAXs and 10 Airbus A350s.
The minister explained that the airline is also refurbishing seating in 19 aircraft, replacing and upgrading ground equipment, renovating business class lounges at Cairo International Airport, and contracting for the development of its website and mobile application.
In a separate statement on Monday, the civil aviation ministry announced that 47 million passengers and 365,000 flights passed through Egyptian airports in 2023, a 28 and 23 percent increase compared to the previous year, respectively.
According to the IATA Air Global Connectivity Index for 2022 released in July of last year, Egypt was among the top 25 countries globally, advancing 14 places in the rankings to be 24th among 100 countries worldwide, up from 38th in 2019.
The IATA index measures a country's air connectivity based on the relative economic importance of the destinations served by its scheduled passenger flights.
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