Egypt's Minister of Civil Aviation, Sameh El-Hefny, met with Omar Arekat, vice president of Boeing's Commercial Sales and Marketing for the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, to discuss mutual cooperation in the aviation industry. The meeting, part of a series of engagements the minister has held with leading global aviation companies to enhance the role of Egypt's civil aviation sector in the international market, took place on Saturday. The meeting was attended by Montasser Manaa, Egypt's Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation; Yehia Zakaria, Chairperson of EgyptAir Holding; and several Boeing executives. The discussion focused on challenges facing the global aviation industry and explored avenues for collaboration between the two sides, particularly in light of EgyptAir's ongoing development and modernisation plan. This plan aims to enhance the airline's fleet with the latest global aircraft models, improving onboard services and bolstering its competitiveness on both regional and international levels. El-Hefny commended the long-standing cooperation between Egypt and Boeing, spanning over 50 years, which has strengthened Egypt's civil aviation sector in various areas, including maintenance and training. He emphasized the importance of collaboration with Boeing, which has played a significant role in developing the national carrier, EgyptAir, along with other Egyptian airlines. He noted that there are currently over 60 Boeing aircraft in operation across Egypt, encompassing various models. The Minister outlined EgyptAir's fleet development plan, which aims to reach 125 aircraft by 2030. The plan aims to strengthen EgyptAir's capabilities and competitiveness in global markets to accommodate the increasing air and tourist traffic entering Egypt from around the world. Arekat expressed his delight at the meeting, commending the productive cooperation with Egypt's civil aviation sector, especially with EgyptAir, which he described as one of Boeing's most prominent clients in the Middle East and Africa. He emphasized Boeing's keenness to support EgyptAir with all necessary resources to enhance its regional and international competitiveness. He also highlighted Boeing's participation in the Egypt International Airshow, set to take place in the New Alamein City in early September.
