An Egyptian airline revealed its plans to operate regular flights on domestic routes. Amirah Ibrahim reports Smart Aviation, an airlines specialised in operating private jets, will soon release operational flights among domestic and regional airports. This means that Egyptian travellers will soon have an additional option when they travel within the country. The national carrier now dominates the domestic network of air transport movement between Egyptian cities. Last week, Smart Aviation airlines took delivery of its first Bombardier Dash8-Q400 which seats 74 passengers. The aircraft is one of five contracted and set to be delivered by 2013. According to Wael El-Madawy, airline chairman, a second aircraft was delivered early this week. Cairo to Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada and even Alexandria." The airline plans to open separate marketing offices, on-line booking and even work with a separate IT system. Established in 2007, Smart Aviation started business as a private jet operator which operates a fleet of 3 Cessna jets each seating 10 passengers. In 2009, the airlines launched an air ambulance business boosting the fleet with two more Cessna airplanes equipped with an intensive care unit. As for competing with the national carrier EgyptAir, El-Madawy insisted that his airline is growing to cooperate, not to struggle in the market. "We are able to compete with modernised aircraft that provide comfortable fly time for those with less to afford. We are optimistic to cut prices by 30 per cent comparing to the main player EgyptAir." However, it is worth noticing that Smart Aviation airlines is owned by a group of shareholders including the National Investment Bank (30 per cent), Cvil Aviation Fund (40 per cent), the national carrier (10 per cent), the Airport Company (10 per cent), the Airline Holding Company (five per cent), and the Air Navigation Company (five per cent). Egypt ," El-Madawy added. EgyptAir Chairman Hussein Massoud said that the new airline can be a great help if it targets the destinations that the national carrier still cannot cover. The national carrier operates a domestic airline Express, whose chairman Helmi Rizq expressed the belief that the new airline would affect the business of his airline, but he added, "not to a serious extent". Rezq insisted that passengers who prefer to fly with jet aircraft would not like a turbo-prop engine. "We can also compete strongly with our selling system, high frequencies of flights over the day, online portal and an extended network of service offices across Egypt." In any case, it is healthy to see how competing airlines will affect Egyptian travelers and whether this competition will better satisfy their needs.
