Sudan Airways made its first flight from Kassala in Sudan to the Eritrean capital Asmara. According to the Sudan Tribune, the airline chose the occasion of the 18th anniversary of the independence of Eritrea to launch the first flight.

Sudan Airways was formed in 1947 and began as a subsidiary operation of the Sudan Railways System. In 1954 the airline added its first international flights.

However, the airline had in the recent past some safety issues regarding accidents involving passenger fatalities. On 23 June 2008, the Sudanese CAA announced grounding of Sudan Airways citing the carrier’s failure to take corrective meassures following an audit of the airline.

In 2007 the company carried 500.000 passengers with a seat occupation of 50% and employed 1353 staff. Sudan Airways has a mixed fleet of 12 Aircraft consisting out of 4 Airbus, 1 Russian build Antonov, 2 Boeing and 7 smaller planes for regional operations (ATI).

The Airline has its major hub in Khartoum and is owned to 49% by the AREF Investment Group, 21 % by Faiha Holding Company and 30% by the Sudanese Government.

Last October, the managing director of Sudan Airways Ahmed Omer Abdelrahman announced big expansion planes and a fleet modernisation during the Arab Air Carriers Organisation conference in Tunis. The expansion plan was including the introduction of long-haul flights to China and India by 2010.

asmara, Eritrea, flights, Kassala, sudan, sudan airways

When I was sitting on the Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Asmara, it was going to be my second trip to Eritrea. In contrast to my two European friends accompanying me, I could hardly keep my thoughts still, imagining how things might be and what might have changed since my last trip to Eritrea.

“Are the same people still going to be around?” , “Is the hairdresser salon of the old Eritrean-Italian couple “Gianni e Gina” ,I think that was the name ,still existing?”.

All I knew was that this time I wanted my travel activities to be focused on Massawa and the Red Sea. I basically spent all my days on my first visit to Eritrea in Asmara, doing the so well known family thing. When we arrived things seemed to have slightly changed and after a short stay in Asmara we packed our luggage and departed for the bus to Massawa.

The buses were slightly smaller than they used to be, which was good, as it shortened the waiting time until the bus filled with passengers in order to depart. When the bus started the journey to Massawa, I sank into the bus seat and took a deep breath trying to get rid of my small jet lag. Shortly, after we passed the outskirts of Asmara, we reached the mountain slopes leading down from the highlands of Eritrea towards the lowlands around the Red Sea coast.

The view out of the bus and into the wide mountains and deep valleys was so impressive, that to me it seemed unchanged since God created land on the third day. Meanwhile,in the bus Eritrean music was playing, while a mix of passengers consisting of young soldiers, local farmers and some elderly women joined the artist on tape by singing to the tunes. This is a wonderful phenomena you would only come across in few places on earth and Eritrea is definitely one of them. It nearly broke my heart to see that in music they find their shelter and in music they cross to the heaven they are looking for.

We arrived in Massawa in the late afternoon with the intention to check in at the Red Sea Hotel, which offers diving and snorkeling boat trips to a nearby island. Unfortunately, the rooms were fully booked and so we had to make our way to Gurgusum Beach Hotel in the outskirts of Massawa. However, before we set off to Gurgusum we succeeded in arranging a boat trip with the Red Sea Hotel, to a nearby island for the next morning . When we arrived the next day, two friendly employees from the hotel took us to their diving and snorkel equipment store for a little introduction in water sports. I was quite impressed with the professionalism of the staff as well as the good equipped facilities at the water sport center.

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asmara, Eritrea, eritrea flights, massawa, red sea, travel

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During a visit to Eritrea early this year, the Austrian Train Association (EBFÖ), has discovered the retro trains of Eritrea . The journey has been documented on Video, describing Eritrea and it’s historic trains. The Video is in German, but the pictures speak no language.

austrian, Eritrea, trains, travel, video

Sudan Airways http://www.sudanair.com/ is going to re- start flight operations to Asmara (Eritrea) from Khartoum. The airline operates a fleet of 13 aircraft and is owned to 49% by the AREF Investment Group, 21% by the Faiha Holding Company and the remaining 30% by the Sudanese Government. The first flight will operate on the 24th of May, which happens to be the Eritrean National Day. This will enable passengers to connect from London via Khartoum to Asmara Sudan Tribune.

asmara, Eritrea, flights, sudan airways, travel eritrea

Cairo International Airport, the second busiest airport in Africa after Johannesburg International Airport of South Africa, has finished construction and design of the new Terminal 3. According to the airport Egyptair and all Star Alliance members will move to the new terminal in the coming months. Flights departing to Asmara Eritrea with Egyptair will change from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 by the 17. June.2009. The new facilities are going to reduce the transfer times at Cairo Airport to 45 minutes for international flights. This will enable the airport to meet the increasing passenger demand, which uses Cairo as a transfer hub between Europe and Africa.

asmara, Business, egyptair, Eritrea, flights