Egypt's national airline EgyptAir announced on Tuesday that it is cutting ticket prices up by 40 percent for a limited period for certain international flights. The special prices, which have been posted on the company's official Facebook page, are for flights to the United States, several European cities, North African countries, as well as Beirut, Dammam, and Riyadh. Passengers who are travelling to or transiting at JFK airport in New York on their way to 42 other US airports can make use of the offer for flights before 17 December. EgyptAir is the only Egyptian airline that flies to the United States, operating flights between Cairo and New York. The decreased ticket prices for flights to European countries start from EGP 4,241 for economy class and EGP 8,461 for business class. Clients travelling to Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco before 10 December can buy tickets for EGP 4,160 for economy class and EGP 8,183 for business class. The ticket price decrease is in effect until 15 October. Special prices for flights to Beirut are on offer for tickets purchased before 21 October for flights travelling before 15 December, and between 15 January and 24 March, as well as 25 April to 1 June. EgyptAir is also providing a 25 percent decrease for flights to Saudi Arabia's Dammam and 20 percent on flights to Riyadh if passengers buy tickets before 5 October for flights before 10 December. The 85-year-old airline has been facing several challenges over the past few years. Last May, the Egyptian minister of civil aviation announced that the company has lost around $777 million since 2011. The company has a development plan that includes adding 38 new planes to its fleet, but the deal, worth EGP 60 billion, has not yet been approved. In August, EgyptAir added seven new Boeing planes as part of a deal to buy nine planes from Boeing for $1 billion. EgyptAir currently has a total of 67 planes in its fleet. Source: Ahram online
