EgyptAir drops from Skytrax’s top 100 companies, Parliament asks why
A member of the House of Representatives, Karim Talaat Sadat, submitted a briefing request to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, addressed to Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, and the Ministers of Civil Aviation and Tourism, regarding EgyptAir dropping from the ranking of the top 100 aviation companies in the world.
EgyptAir was excluded from the ranking of the top 100 companies in the world for the first time in its history within the classification of “Skytrax Global Airlines”, a company specializing in airline classifications.
In its 2023 report of the 100 best airlines around the world, Skytrax included several Arab airlines, while others, such as EgyptAir, were excluded. Qatar Airways ranked second globally, Emirates Airline ranked fourth globally, Etihad Airways ranked 13th, Saudi Airlines ranked 23rd, and Oman Airlines ranked 27th globally.
The Egyptian aviation company also received a rating of three out of five stars, reflecting the average score of the criteria that the company adopts for its classification of airline companies -such as the quality of the airport, the products on board, the service of the employees, and the amenities, which indicates the decline of the company’s entire system.
During a phone call on the “Al-Hekaya” (The Story) program on Saturday evening, Sadat said that he hopes that officials will take a stance to improve the situation of EgyptAir, pointing out that “When EgyptAir was founded in 1932, it was one of the best airlines in the world, reaching seventh place globally that year, and it is considered one of the oldest air transport companies in the Middle East, Africa and even the world.” .
However, EgyptAir has been suffering massive financial losses for more than 12 years, he noted, and no tangible solutions have been provided so far.
He added that the company’s head must take a stand to fix the situation.
EgyptAir ‘under attack’
Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Abbas Helmy responded during a phone call to the program, saying that EgyptAir was being subjected to an unusual attack.
Egypt dropped out of the classification last month, he said, and wondered why the issue was being raised now as Egypt did not request entry into this classification in the first place.
He explained that EgyptAir purchased 10 aircraft, in addition to leasing a number of aircraft, and is working to develop further.
The company has many aircraft whose seats have not been changed for 12 years, and a contract is underway to change the seats of 19 aircraft during the coming period, he added.
The Minister of Aviation stated that EgyptAir achieved a financial surplus by the end of the fiscal year, raking in three billion pounds, and worked to pay some obligations – but due to the losses carried over to the company, he clarified that EgyptAir has not actually profited.
The minister revealed that EgyptAir’s carryover losses amounted to 30 billion Egyptian pounds, while the company was able to reduce them to 22 billion pounds.