FRANKFURT: German flag carrier Lufthansa unveiled Thursday a code-sharing agreement with EgyptAir that it said would mark the start of close cooperation between the two airlines in the future.
Lufthansa said in a statement that the cooperation would begin with the introduction of the winter timetable at the end of 2007.
Initially, code-sharing would be introduced on Frankfurt-Cairo and Munich-Cairo routes, as well as services between Frankfurt and Alexandria.
Further code-share services, especially to the tourism centres of Egypt and North Africa, are being planned, following official approval by the air traffic authorities, the statement said.
Egypt was one the most important markets for Lufthansa on the African continent, the German carrier said.
Lufthansa currently operates 17 flights per week from Egypt to Germany.
EgyptAir is an ideal partner for us, because with this cooperation we can position ourselves long term in one of the most dynamically growing markets in North Africa, said chief executive Wolfgang Mayrhuber.
EgyptAir chairman Abd El Hamid said: Our cooperation with Lufthansa represents a strategic alliance which will enhance our European market. – AFP
In addition to the scientific research grant, a joint Egyptian-EU fund of 6.5 million euros will be established to finance competitive, innovative projects.
These projects will be jointly submitted by enterprises and research institutions, with the aims being to bridge the gap between industry and academia and helping to introduce to the market new technology-based products and processes.
European companies and research bodies will be also encouraged to partake in the innovation projects to allow Egyptian companies increased access to the EU’s advanced technologies.
