sudan-airways

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.

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.

For the summer schedule 2009 Frankfurt Airport announced that Eritrean Airlines ceased flying to Frankfurt. So far Eritrean Aviation was dominated by Eritrean Airlines serving mainly Eritreans abroad visiting friends and relatives in their home country during summer holidays or Christmas.

However, a second airline named Nasair came recently into spotlight enriching the Eritrean Aviation sector. Nasair was founded in 2006 in Eritrea with a more regional network than Eritrean Airlines.

The airline is part of the Sharjah-based Nasair Group, operating scheduled services linking Asmara with around half a dozen destinations within Eritrea and in Kenya, the Sudan and United Arab Emirates. It also offers charter services. Sister company Nasair Cargo offers world wide cargo charters from its base in Massawa.

Most of the Nasair’s passenger traffic destined for Massawa comes from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. For 2008 the share of Passengers originating from outside Eritrea and traveling to Massawa was split between those two countries. You can visit the airline at the  Nasairgroup homepage.

nasair-traffic-to-eritrea

Source: IATA 2009