Egyptair (December 2023)

Egyptair began life in the 1930s as Misr Airwork. It flew domestically first, before adding international routes in 1939. World War Two put a stop to development, but the company benefitted from regional aircraft disposal from the Allies. Through this, it was able to modernise its fleet. Following the formation of the United Arab Republic by Egypt and Syria in 1958, the airline was renamed United Arab Airlines. Syrian Airways was merged into it and UAA took over all routes and equipment used by the Syrian carrier. The first jets arrived into the fleet at this time. As relationships with the US turned rocky, the airline found itself using more and more Soviet aircraft. In 1971, the airline was renamed again to Egyptair. It was able to purchase American-made aircraft in the 1970s. In 2002, the establishment of the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation and the switch from government-owned to being a holding company with subsidiaries enabled Egyptair to participate with other airlines, such as Air Sinai. A regional subsidiary, Egyptair Express, was established in 2006. With over 110 images, this book follows the story of Egypt's flag carrier, from its inception to present day.