Politics & Airline Route Maps … Egyptair Omits Israel
Airlines publish route maps on their websites and their in-flight magazines to advertise where they fly. An airline omitting a destination they service, with their aircraft and their crew, from their route map makes little sense, but Egyptair’s newly released route map omits a single destination … Israel’s Tel Aviv.
Egyptair’s new route map shows Cairo, Amman, Beirut, Sharm El Sheikh, etc etc in the Middle East and Gulf region, but is blank where Tel Aviv should appear.
Egyptair established Air Sinai in 1982 to fly between Cairo and Tel Aviv, a route it could not operate under its own name due to political reasons. While Air Sinai shed its own crew and aircraft in 2002, operating as a wet-lease airline, utilizing Egyptair aircraft and crews, the airline still exists on paper to serve a single route Cairo-Tel Aviv.
Air Sinai does not have its own website, its own staff, or its own booking system, it’s flights must be booked through Egyptair. So, with Egyptair operating regularly scheduled flights, operated by Egyptair Boeing 737-566 aircraft, in full a full Egyptair livery, why the need to hide Tel Aviv from their route map?
I understand there are political issues between Israel and Egypt, but if Egyptair operates regularly scheduled flights to city, regardless of political issues, it should appear clearly on their route map. Not listing a destination openly served by an airline isn’t politically savvy, it is publicly obtuse.
Below is a screen shot of Egyptair’s current route map for the Middle East & Gulf Region.
Happy Flying!
I remember decades ago a giant PanAm map of the hemisphere on the wall of an airport. Was it JFK? I don’t remember where. But it had PanAm’s routes on it. The map was missing Cuba. Simply sea where Cuba should be. Go figure.
Paul
That is interesting since Pan Am began its flying career serving Cuba!
Happy Flying!
-Fish
Such a question, why, with so much going on in the middle east, one has to wonder the politics of this decision. Doubt if it is a clerical or printing error. Countries changing hands into the hands of hardline muslims and lil ole Israel sitting there by its lonesome and the United States showing the bottom of its shoes to it. Why the muslim insult from the one supposed friend to israel. I as an American stand by Israel.