PARIS: Egyptair said on Tuesday it has been admitted as a member of the Star Alliance group of airlines. Following the successful conclusion of membership talks with Egyptair, the chief executive board of Star Alliance has voted to accept as a future member, the national airline of Egypt, the airline said in a statement received in Paris. The airline said that in the past five years it has undergone a significant transformation process and is now one of the foremost carriers in Africa and the Middle East. The 17-member code-sharing alliance based around Germany s Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and US United Airlines, is also in the process of admitting Air China, Shanghai Airlines and Turkish Airlines. Egypt is one of the most important aviation markets in Africa, with a large potential for both business and leisure travel. We are proud that Egyptair, a world class airline, has chosen to join Star Alliance, thereby recognizing the importance of alliances in aviation today, Jaan Albrecht, Star Alliance chief executive said in the statement. "Egyptair provides an ideal network fit for Star Alliance and will permit many more passengers to experience the alliance s customer benefits especially in markets in which Star Alliance was up to now under represented, Albrecht added. In order to implement the Star Alliance Move under one Roof concept at Cairo Airport, Egyptair and the Star Alliance member carriers flying to Cairo will move to the new Terminal 3 once it opens in 2008. Within the integration process now underway, Egyptair is set to become a full Star Alliance member carrier within the next 18 months. Egyptair will add nine additional unique airports into the Star Alliance network, bringing the overall total to more than 17,700 daily flights serving 944 destinations in 161 countries. On a global level, Star Alliance has outstripped Skyteam, which groups Air France-KLM and the US carrier Delta Airlines and OneWorld with British Airways and American Airlines. With additional reporting by Daily News Egypt.
