News
Egyptair hijack ends, carrier to sell off surplus aircraft
April 1st 2016
An EgyptAir A320 with 81 passengers and crew on-board was hijacked and forced to land in Cyprus on Tuesday. The hijacker, who used a fake suicide belt, gave himself up after several hours. Read More » The motive remains unclear, with some sources suggesting the emotionally unstable middle-aged man wanted to free female Egyptian prisoners and others suggesting he was trying to send a message to his Cypriot ex-wife. The A320 was on a routine Alexandria-Cairo domestic flight.
In separate events, Egyptair board chairman, Sharif Fathi, last week told the Egypt Independent the carrier plans to sell off eighteen surplus aircraft, including seven A320s, four B737-500s, as well as a mixture of A340s and B777-200ERs (currently stored or leased out).
Egyptair is expected to place a short- and long-haul fleet renewal order this year, which could include China-manufactured aircraft.
In January, Egyptair signed a memorandum of understanding with Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) to establish a regional maintenance centre in Egypt, which will serve Africa and cooperate in the fields of training and other aviation services.
