Cargo 2000’s airline membership has reached 24 carriers with Egypt Air Cargo’s decision to join its programme to improve the quality of air cargo, streamline air cargo processes, achieve cost efficiencies and improve customer satisfaction.
Egypt Air’s cargo fleet consists of two medium range widebody A300B4 freighters and two A300-600Fs. The airline also carries freight in the bellies of its passenger aircraft. In addition to its main cargo hub at Egypt’s Cairo International Airport, the airline has developed several airport regional hubs at Ostend in Belgium, London Stansted in the UK, Chateauroux in France and Sharjah in the UAE.
Germany’s Frankfurt-Hahn was recently chosen as its central European hub with the first flight in December. The Egyptian cargo airline is now planning to increase its weekly schedule through that airport from a current seven flights a week to 15. The carrier operates 45-tonne capacity A300 freighter which is assessed as a low-noise level aircraft.
Flughafen Frankfurt-Hahn GmbH said the planning stage for the construction of a state-of-the-art perishables centre at Frankfurt-Hahn together with a private investor was well under way. "Egypt Air is the most important airline at Frankfurt- Hahn in terms of perishable goods,"commented airport managing director Jörg Schumacher. "With the new perishables centre, we will further improve the standard of quality at the airport."
Egypt Air also recently signed a longterm contract with GECAS for the lease of six 777-300ERs. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in February 2010 and will be used on nonstop routes from Cairo to New York JFK and Tokyo Narita. Egypt Air announced recently that it will establish a hub in Vienna for traffic between Egypt and Northern Europe starting with the 2008 summer schedule.