STAR ALLIANCE HONOURS EGYPTIAN MINISTER OF CIVIL AVIATION BY PRESENTING “OWN” STAR

HE Ahmed Shafik Instrumental in Egyptian Aviation Success Story

CAIRO, Egypt – March 2^nd, 2009 - Star Alliance has honoured His Excellency, Ahmed Shafik, Egyptian Minister of Civil Aviation for his role in ensuring the success of Civil Aviation in Egypt, the largest aviation market on the African continent north of the Equator.

At today’s special ceremony, Jaan Albrecht, CEO Star Alliance, thanked Minister Shafik for his “foresight, determination and professionalism with which he has been leading the Ministry of Civil Aviation. This has enabled Egypt to become a global leader in aviation, with particular strengths in Africa and the Middle East. Examples of this are the national carrier EGYPTAIR, which has undergone an exemplary transformation, culminating in joining Star Alliance in 2008, and the new Terminal 3 at Cairo Airport, which will further strengthen Cairo’s position as the leading aviation hub in Northern Africa.”

As a token of appreciation the Minister was handed the registration certificate for his “own” star - ‘Ahmed Shafik’ located at telescopic coordinates RA 22h 29m 58s D 71° 28’ in the Cepheus Constellation – as defined by the International Star Registry (www.starregistry.com).

Egypt is Africa’s second largest economy and has a vast potential for further growth in both business and leisure travel. This market opportunity and geographic location were just some of reasons for EGYPTAIR’s membership in Star Alliance. At present 10 Star Alliance member carriers (Austrian, bmi, EGYPTAIR, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, SWISS, TAP and Turkish Airlines) fly to Africa offering more than 4,600 flights a week to 77 cities, in 36 of the continents’ 53 countries. These carriers are exploring opportunities to further improve flight connections to, from and within the continent.

Star Alliance is also looking forward to collocating its member carriers serving Cairo (Austrian, bmi, EGYPTAIR, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, SWISS and Turkish Airlines) at the new Terminal 3 which is due to open this spring. The new terminal can handle up to 11 million passengers a year and has been designed to accommodate domestic, international and transfer passengers under the same roof. This will enable Star Alliance to turn Cairo into a formidable hub for North Africa and the Middle East.

About Star Alliance:
The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer customers worldwide reach and a smooth travel experience. Star Alliance received the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award in 2008 and was voted Best Airline Alliance by Business Traveller Magazine in 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and by Skytrax in 2003, 2005 and 2007. The members are Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, bmi, EGYPTAIR, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI, United and US Airways. Regional member carriers Adria Airways (Slovenia), Blue1 (Finland) and Croatia Airlines enhance the global network. Air India, Brussels Airlines, Continental Airlines and TAM have been announced as future members. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers more than 16,500 daily flights to 912 destinations in 159 countries.