Rehab Saad Airlines and airports Lufthansa's new plans AS A RESULT of the rapid growth of the tourist traffic between Egypt and Germany, the German airline Lufthansa has decided to increase the number of its flights between Cairo and Frankfurt and also to launch a new long-haul business class on the flights operating between the two cities. Rehab Saad reports from Frankfurt Besides an early morning flight, which started on 28 March, Lufthansa also decided to offer a flight departing in the afternoon. This departure timing, according to Lufthansa officials, will enhance the connecting timings to all passengers heading to Europe and some destinations in the Far East, South Africa and South America. According to Jens Christoph Walter of Lufthansa, in light of the high demand for travel to and from Egypt, Lufthansa decided to raise its capacity for the Egyptian market by about 60 per cent, thus bringing the total of 17 flights per week between Frankfurt and Egypt, three of which operate from Alexandria. "Our 14 flights to and from Cairo have previously not only served the Egyptian market but its capacity was shared by other African markets as well. Due to the growing demand in our market we have decided to increase our capacity by dedicating all afternoon flights, a total of seven flights a week, to serve the Egyptian market alone," he said. Walter added that despite the US-led war on Iraq, SARS and the economic turndown in Europe, the company achieved 18 per cent growth in the Egyptian market last year. He said that some 214,000 passengers travelled on Lufthansa flights between Frankfurt and Egypt last year. According to Thomas Preinl, senior manager corporate communications for southeast Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Pakistan, this increase in the number of flights between Cairo and Frankfurt reflects the rapid growth of the tourist movement and investments between Egypt and Germany and also highlights the significance of the Egyptian market for Lufthansa in Africa and the Middle East. Lufthansa has also selected Cairo as one of the first destinations in the world to launch its new long-haul business class operating on all A330-300 aircraft, serving on the Cairo- Frankfurt route. The new business class offers passengers a multi-functional seat that guarantees ideal conditions for sleep, work and relaxation. It can be converted into a two-metre bed with enormous seat spacing and storage space for hand baggage. The seat's settings are operated by remote control, and there are plans for a special laptop compartment in the seat. In the new business class, passengers will have Internet access in addition to an interesting entertainment programme. The programme includes video-on-demand, audio-on- demand besides a wide selection of games. "With the new business class we are opening up a new dimension for our Egyptian customers. We offer maximum comfort, more space, more peace and quietness, a diverse information and entertainment programme and excellent services on board," said Reinhold Huber, vice president of product and service management for Lufthansa. More flights to Vienna THE AUSTRIAN Airlines has decided recently to increase its weekly trips on the Cairo-Vienna route from five to six trips. EgyptAir, meanwhile, also decided to increase its flights to and from Vienna from three to four trips a week. From Alexandria to Sharjah EFFECTIVE 1 April, Air Arabia LLC -- UAE's national airline and first low-cost airline of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa region -- has increased frequency on its Alexandria route. Now flying from Alexandria five days a week, the increased flight frequency means that passengers can fly to Sharjah every Tuesday and Friday departing at 00:40 and arriving at 06:25 local time, and every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, departing at 12:05 and arriving at 17:50 local time. Flights return from Sharjah every Monday and Thursday at 21:35 and every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 09:00 and arrive in Alexandria at 23:55 and 11:20 respectively. "This latest addition to our flight schedule offers customers greater convenience and flexibility when travelling on business or pleasure," said Ali Fairooz, Air Arabia's sales and marketing director. Air Arabia is currently flying from Sharjah to Bahrain daily, Beirut daily, Damascus five days a week, Kuwait and Muscat four days a week, Alexandria five days a week, Assiut two days a week, Aleppo two days a week, Doha five days a week, Colombo four days a week, Shiraz twice a week and Tehran three times a week. For more information log on www.airarabia.com or call (+202) 579 7344 Hotels Summer promotion SHERATON Montazah Hotel in Alexandria (+202) 548 0550) offers holidaymakers a special deal. For LE300 per person per month and for LE900 per family (four persons) per month, you can enjoy Sheraton's tennis court and private beach. You can get a 50 per cent discount if you book in the period from November to April. New hotels in Sahl Hasheesh IN JANUARY, three hotels will be opened in Sahl Hasheesh, 20 kilometres south of Hurghada on the Red Sea. According to Hussein Abu Seda, CEO of the Egyptian Company for Tourist Resorts, the infrastructure works of the tourist centre of Sahl Hasheesh, extending over 32 million square metres, is completed. He added that the first phase of the project will include 14 four and five-star hotels that will provide 6,104 rooms and 680 chalets at a cost of LE2.35 billion and is expected to provide 9,200 permanent job opportunities as well as 8,500 temporary ones. The second phase will provide 2,190 hotel rooms and 3,517 villas at the cost of LE1.2 billion, while the third phase will include 360 hotel rooms and 4,912 villas. Spring nights IF YOU want to spend the night in a place where luxury and history come together, then Sheraton Royal Gardens Hotel (+202) 781 2211) in the Pyramids area (the ex-villa of Egyptian theatrical actor Youssef Wahbi) is the place. Starting 1 May, a number of evening events will take place. Every Wednesday you can dine, dance and swim around the tropical swimming pool with a variety of Japanese, Lebanese and Italian delicacies on offer. On Tuesday, a salsa entertainment show will take place while on Friday you can enjoy a combo classic and modern show with the duet of Onsie & Nathalie. If you're a jazz lover, you have to attend the jazz night where Yehia Khalil will perform. Contact the hotel for details. Travel news Tourist statistics IN FEBRUARY, EGYPT received 580,481 tourists and recorded 5.2 million nights spent, an increase of 36 per cent and 123.3 per cent respectively over the same month last year. Germany topped the list of countries exporting tourists to Egypt recording 73,030 tourists, followed by Italy (67,213), Russia and the Commonwealth (59,974), France (52,289), Great Britain (33,170), the Benelux (31,560), Scandinavia (28,240), Libya (23,969), Palestine (19,148) and Israel (13,701).
