EgyptAir was established on June 7, 1932, and started operations in July 1933 using a Spartan Cruiser on the Cairo-Alexandria route. The plane could only seat four, including a pilot and co-pilot. It was founded in association with the Airwork Company under the name of Misr Airwork. In 1935, 12 De Havilland aircraft were added to the fleet. During the Second World War, the Egyptian government took charge of the airline and its name was changed to Misr Air in 1949. In January 1961, Misr Air joined Syrian Airways to form United Arab Airlines (UAA) as a result of new political links between Egypt and Syria. This accord, however, was shortlived; it lasted only 10 years. The airline retained the name for a time until it changed to EgyptAir in October 1971. EgyptAir was the first airline in the Middle East to operate jetliners. In 2002, EgyptAir became a holding company with nine subsidiaries
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EgyptAir is a state owned company with special legislation permitting the management to operate as if the company were privately owned without any interference from the government. The company is self-financing without any financial backing by the Egyptian government. EgyptAir wholly owns EgyptAir Express and Air Sinai. The airline also has stakes in Air Cairo (40%) and Smart Aviation Company (20%). As of June 2007, EgyptAir Holding Company had 20,734 employees of which 7,600 worked in EgyptAir Airlines. In 2004, EgyptAir demonstrated the scale of its commitment to the highest standards of safety by being the first IOSA certified airline in the Middle East and Africa.
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