21 June 2016
Air Cairo plans to target key markets in the region via travel agencies

Significant fleet expansion by 2020 supports the airline's ambitious growth plan

Cairo, Egypt - As air travel in the Middle East continues to deliver strong growth[1], Air Cairo, an Egypt-based carrier connecting the Middle East and Europe, has positioned itself to take advantage of the increase in air traffic through a new agreement with Amadeus for both IT and distribution services.

During June 2016, Air Cairo successfully completed its cutover to Amadeus' Altéa Reservation and Inventory and Amadeus e-Commerce modules, whilst also signing for a full content distribution agreement.  The migration to Altéa Reservation will enable the airline to maximise booking and revenue growth through wide-reaching distribution channels, whilst Altéa Inventory provides the airline with the latest schedule management technology in the market place. Along with the eCommerce module, these IT solutions bring tangible benefits for the airline as well as enhanced services to travellers. Altéa will also provide the airline with a scalable platform to support its future growth. In terms of distribution, Amadeus-connected travel agencies will now benefit from access to the airline's complete range of fares and prices, assisting the carrier in achieving its business goals in regional and international markets.

Air Cairo has traditionally operated as a Low Cost / Charter Airline but is part way through an ambitious evolution aimed at becoming a Full Service Carrier. Part of the rationale for this strategic shift is access to more passengers made possible by partnerships with Egypt Air, which owns a significant stake in Air Cairo, as well as other airline partners.

Mr. Yasser El Ramly, Air Cairo's CEO, explained the rationale behind the new agreement: "Partnering with Amadeus is a major milestone as we transition to become a Full Service Carrier. Migrating to a modern IT system such as Altéa means we can effectively codeshare with partner airlines, and issue interline tickets, which brings new growth opportunities. In parallel, the full content agreement enables us to take our partnerships with Amadeus' travel agency community to the next level as they gain access to our inventory in an efficient and effective way. For those international markets where we expect to see significant growth but where our brand is less well known, such as Saudi Arabia, it's important to work with intermediaries that can communicate the value of our services to prospective customers."

Air Cairo is targeting fleet expansion from four to over twenty aircraft by 2020 and, as such, has considered how best to increase sales and visibility for its services in new international markets.

Maher Koubaa, Vice President, Middle East and Africa, Airline IT & Distribution, at Amadeus added: "Amadeus is firmly committed to Egypt and the surrounding region. We are seeing a greater number of airlines shift from a pure low cost strategy towards a more subtle combination of approaches. As part of such a move it becomes natural to explore the benefits of a more function-rich IT system. Air Cairo's plans are ambitious and we look forward to partnering with them during this exciting evolution."

Antoine Medawar, Vice President for Amadeus MENA said: "We are pleased to support Air Cairo's growth plans by boosting the airline's regional and global reach through the world's largest and most diverse travel agency community. Travellers around the globe will now have a wider variety of ways to book and fly with Air Cairo, through the channel of their choice."

Khaled Gad, Managing Director Amadeus Egypt, commented: "This is further evidence of the strength of Amadeus' comprehensive offering. More and more airlines in the region are signing-up to our industry leading IT and distribution technology to make their businesses more effective, efficient and profitable."

-Ends-

About Air Cairo
Air Cairo was founded in 2003; at this time Air Cairo operated charter flights to Europe and Middle East with two leased aircraft; on 2006/2007 Air Cairo owned four new aircraft AB320-214.Then in 2012 Air Cairo changed its model to a Hybrid model, and started to operate schedule flights.

According to the Hybrid model Air Cairo provides inflight services and offers moderate fares.

Currently Air Cairo fleet consists of 7 young aircraft type A320-214. According to our business plan fleet will be increased gradually to reach 20 Aircraft by 2020.

Air Cairo operates weekly flights from Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh to several destinations in Europe (Stuttgart, Hannover, Dusseldorf, Copenhagen, Oslo, Billund, Belgrade, Tbilisi and Prague)

Air Cairo operates weekly flights from Borg El Arab, Sohag , Assiut and Cairo to several destinations in the Middle East (Jeddah, Riyadh, Al Gassim, Yanbu, Kuwait, Doha and Amman)

Air Cairo now operates total 109 regular flights weekly. This is in addition to several charter flights to different destinations in Europe and Middle East.

Air Cairo successfully passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) for the fifth time in sequence and has joined IATA by the end of August 2015.

About Amadeus
Amadeus is a leading provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel industry. Customer groups include travel providers (e.g. airlines, hotels, rail and ferry operators, etc.), travel sellers (travel agencies and websites), and travel buyers (corporations and travel management companies).

The Amadeus group employs around 13,000 people worldwide, across central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters), Nice (development) and Erding (operations), as well as 71 local Amadeus Commercial Organisations globally.

The group operates a transaction-based business model. 

Amadeus is listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange under the symbol "AMS.MC" and is a component of the IBEX 35 index.

To find out more about Amadeus please visit www.amadeus.com, and www.amadeus.com/blog for more on the travel industry.

For press inquiries, please contact:
Adel Elbendary 
Fourth Dimension Public Relations
14 Syria St., Mohandseen, Cairo, Egypt
Tel: (+202) 3760 9988
Mobile : (+20122) 212 3462
Email : adel@fdpr.net

May AbdelHamid
Fourth Dimension Public Relations
14 Syria St., Mohandseen, Cairo, Egypt
Tel: (202) 3 760 9988
Mobile : (+2) 0122 133 0222
Email : may@fdpr.net

[1] IATA's Press Release No. 4, 4th February 2016, highlighted the Middle East as the strongest region for international passenger traffic growth in 2015, with 10.5%: www.iata.org/pressroom/pr/Pages/2016-02-04-01.aspx

© Press Release 2016