Emirates Airline has recovered full operations in Egypt but it monitors the market to seize a bigger share In an interview with Emirates Airline Area Manager in Egypt Khalid El-, he explained that the carrier has resumed full operations to Egypt, a main and vital market for the airline, after the 25 January unrest which interrupted the travel business and hit air transport in Egypt. Out of 13 flights that have been operated weekly between Dubai and Cairo , today the airline operates 12 flights weekly at a maximum seat ceiling approved by Egyptian authorities. However, El- dismissed suggestions to use Cairo as a second hub for the carrier. "This is against the policies of Emirates Airlines which basically act to expand and promote its only hub in Dubai . Our strategy is to bring travellers to the base and distribute them back to their final destinations," he explained. Starting its operation to Egypt in 1986 with two flights weekly, Emirates has increased its market share ten times. Egyptian customers, as El- can confirm, tend to be honeymooners to Far East destinations, families travelling to Dubai for the annual Dubai Shopping Fair, DSF and traders to Far East to attend exhibitions. However, according to El-, even after the city got a new airport at Borg El-Arab to the west of city, the carrier held up plans to resume operation for a while. "We will remain with our current operations to Cairo for the present till the political situation settles down. We are monitoring the changes of policies and the impact on air transport. We are highly interested to see more open policies to bring an open skies agreement into effect," El- concluded. El- indicated that the carrier organised a series of recruitment campaigns to employ Egyptians, receiving approximately 10,000 applications monthly. "Today we employ 97 Egyptians in our two offices in Cairo and Alexandria and we are aiming to increase this number as our operations grow. Globally Emirates employs 403 Egyptian cabin crew and eight pilots, four instructors and five first officers. According to El-, the ME region is a notoriously "last minute" market for travel bookings, with many travellers holding out for special deals. "We continue to offer our passengers in Egypt a range of premiums on board including our award-winning in-flight entertainment system, loaded with hundreds of entertainment channels on demand, and a host of industry firsts." In March 2008, Emirates announced it was the first airline in the world to enable passengers to make authorised onboard mobile phone calls a mile in the sky. Soon it expanded to offer a wide range of online services including online check-in, check baggage allowance, the ability to pre-select seats and even request special meals.
