FLYNAS, the Saudi Arabian national carrier, announced the launch of its first flights to Cairo International Airport as part of its expansion plans within Egypt. With the launch of Cairo, flynas becomes the only foreign carrier serving 7 destinations within the country. This announcement was made at a press conference in the Egyptian capital, attended by key executives of the airline and local media, followed by a gala dinner at the JW Marriott Cairo, Mirage City. The launch coincided with the arrival of non-stop flight XY452 from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah to Cairo International Airport Terminal 1. Flights will be operated using an Airbus A330 (12 seats in Business Class, 24 in Economy Plus, and 291 in Economy Class) and A320 (8 seats in Business and 156 in Economy). Passengers in all classes will have generous hold luggage in addition to free onboard meals. Commenting on the successful launch of flynas' seventh destination in Egypt, Bander Al Mohanna, Deputy CEO of NAS Holding, said: “The launch of daily flights to Cairo is a key milestone given the strong demand for both inbound and outbound traffic between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. I would like to express our deepest appreciation and gratitude to the Ministry of Aviation, Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation Authority and Cairo International Airport for their tremendous efforts and support in making this possible.” He added “the addition of Cairo expands flynas' existing Egyptian route network of Alexandria, Assiut, Sohag, Luxor, Sharm El Sheikh and Aswan, making it one of the biggest regional players serving Egypt and Saudi Arabia. flynas currently operates 44 flights per week, which are expected to increase to 51 by end of this year.” The two countries enjoy historically strong bilateral ties in the spheres of financial investment, education, tourism, the labor market and trade. Trade ties between the two countries have grown from strength to strength in recent years. It is estimated that current trade investments from Saudi Arabia to Egypt are at $5.4 billion and expected to increase to $6.2 billion. More than 1 million Egyptians travel to Saudi Arabia annually on pilgrimages for Haj and Umrah, making it one of the largest religious tourism markets in the world. In addition, Saudi Arabia is home to nearly 2 million Egyptians who live and work in the Kingdom across a number of different sectors. Egypt in turn continues to be popular among Saudis, from both a tourism perspective and as a higher education destination for students. These statistics indicate that there is an urgent need to provide more options for air transport between the two countries, leading flynas to initiate intensive operations in Egypt. –SG
