MISR AIRLINES -ARAB AVIATION IN THE 50S PART 2

MISR EGYPTIAN AIRLINES

luggage tags from ebay.com

By 1950, the company became government-owned and with its delivered Vickers Viking and the newly delivered Languedoc (3 aircraft  were delivered in 1950) was in a pole position to embark into a vast expansion plan. By December 1950 as evidenced by the map below, MISR Airlines spread its wings to Geneva in Europe, Karachi in Pakistan, and Addis Ababa in Africa.

MISRAIR SU-AGO (ex OY-DLA) source www.flying-vickers.net.Photo of unknown origin

SU-AGM-FACEBOOK/EGYPT AIR

MISR AIRLINES  NETWORK 1950 -LENGTH 17447km -21 destinations

In addition to these destinations, Misr Airlines operated : Cairo- Ras Gharib (1 x w) and Cairo-Ras Matarma-Ras Gharib (5 x w ) 

By April 1952, Kuwait, Athens, Baghdad, Port Sudan, Jerusalem and Aden are added but Dhahran, Addis Ababa and Karachi are lost as shown in this map (as well as Ras Gharib and Ras Matarma)

MISRAIR EGYPTIAN  AIRLINES  NETWORK 1952 -LENGTH 18553km -23 destinations

The winter timetble dated December 15.1953  shows an extension of the Geneva route to Paris operated by the Languedocs

However, an event of epic proportion that would change for ever  the fate of Egypt was the revolution that took place on July 23 , 1952 ( more of a coup  d état) when the Free Officers movement overtook the power and overthrowing the king Farouk. This coup was certainly not appreciated by the Western powers especially, the colonial ones at that time:  the United Kingdom and France which were facing rising nationalist sentiments and uprisings in their colonies. They severed the ties with Egypt and as a direct consequence traffic rights were canceled . The April 1954 sadly reflects this new order of things.

MISRAIR EGYPTIAN AIRLINES NTEWORK April 1954 -Ntework 5548 km -8 destinations

 
The largest airline company at that time spanning its wings to 3 continents will be reduced to a small regional airlines . Nevertheless the company will order 3 Vickers Viscounts in 1954. the company carries 64539 passengers in 1954.

 

SU-AHG-MISRAIR'S LANGUEDOC -Facebook/Egypt Air

The following year as evidenced by its timetable dated April16,1955. Misr Airlines will develop its regional services by adding Benghazi, Tripoli, Tunis and re-instating services to Jerusalem,Baghdad, Port Sudan, Jeddah,with its fleet of Vickers Viking AND LANGUEDOC . Although the timetable states 4 weekly services operated by the Languedoc (Cairo-Beirut (1xw) , Cairo-Damascus-Kuwait (1xw), and Cairo-Luxor-Khartoum (2xw)). All Languedocs operated by Misrair will be written-off  by the date of this timetable (see MISRAIR's mishaps below). in 1955, the company carries 77050 passengers.

Source : www.timetableimages.com/Bjorn Larsson collection

MISRAIR EGYPTIAN AIRLINES NETWORK April 1955 -Network 13386 km -16 destinations
 

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 Misrair Vickers Viscount






Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper - copyright © Karl L. Swartz.