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  About Cairo

Egypt's capital and one of the largest cities in Africa, Cairo, is a favourite among tourists. The country of Egypt, with its deserts, might not attract a lot of tourists. However, the rich backstory and culture of Cairo ensure to keep the tourism industry thriving. Some of the famous and finest attractions of Egypt, such as the Great Sphinx and Giza Pyramids, are all located in Cairo. This automatically brings tourists to the capital city. While the city has some exquisite highlights, it suffers from the perils of pollution caused by excess population. It is one of the busiest cities in Egypt as it caters to the financial, economic and cultural sectors. Throughout the city, Cairo invites tourists to visit their beautiful city and drown in its serenity.

Despite all the chaos of the city and its culture, a traveller can find solace in some of its quaint cafes. Finding these cafes and restaurants would be a task as the city is always bustling with barely any corners to hide for tranquillity. The city streets are always bombarded with tourists and street vendors keeping the vibe as vibrant as possible. The city is surrounded by desert but has a rich history which intrigues many travellers. In fact, Cairo also has gorgeous bars and restaurants that could get a tourist's attention.

Best time to visit Cairo

As a desert, it is essential to know the months when the temperatures would be inviting for a tourist. In Cairo, March and April are a great time to visit the archaic city. The winter clouds start to evaporate while the city is blessed with springtime. The temperatures are also quite decent between 23 degree Celsius to 28 degree Celsius. With such temperatures, the winter breeze continues to traverse within the city, adding more charm to the trip. Although the hotel prices don't drop while the temperatures rise in the city, you can still afford them. As long as you book your hotel rooms in Cairo, three to four weeks in advance, you will be able to get some nice deals on hotels. The same goes for flight tickets to Cairo as well. The city does witness a good number of tourists during springtime because of some of the festivals that are held in the city. From the Ismailia International Film Festival to Cairo Fashion Week, these events are significant tourist attractions.

Another good stretch of months that you can opt for is the fall, between October and November. The weather goes through an interesting transition where the summer heat starts to cower while the cold winter atmosphere starts to take over. The desert city is wonderful during this time, and it also hosts more festivals that would appeal to the likes of tourists. Events namely, Cairo International Film Festival and 100 Kilometer Pharaonic Race, are some highlights that the city witnesses. This is definitely one of the ideal times to visit Cairo as everything about the city would be appealing to you.

Between December and February, the city engages more tourists within the city. The weather is ideal for those who wish to experience the desert weather. The days are hot, while the nights are cool. Due to these months being peak season, some of Cairo's tourist attractions see long queues and surge in the hotel prices. Best way to deal with this and the exorbitant hotel prices would be to make hotel reservations to Cairo in advance. A month or two in advance would be ideal as the chances of availability are high.

Place to visit in Cairo

At Cairo, the two tourist attractions that take the cake are Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. However, don't limit yourself to just two of those monuments. The city is literally a treasure trove of archaeological sites, ruins and relics. You will not be bored by any of their highlights as they all have some really intriguing tales. Sites such as Dahshur, Saqqara and Memphis are a few that you can explore, maybe not excavate. There are many religious sites too that add more charm to the city's archaic vibe. Coptic Cairo or Old City is one such neighbourhood that will pique your interest. As will Islamic Cairo, again a neighbourhood with a labyrinth of twisted alleyways and jaw-dropping architecture. The Egyptian Museum will actually be a good place for you to start before exploring the rest of Cairo. Much of the country's history and cultural insights are all locked up in the museum, which will further help you understand their monuments better. Saqqara is also an interesting site where you will get to see the Step Pyramid of Djoser, known to be the oldest pyramid made of stone.

Things to do in Cairo

Stepping away from all the historical sites, you can take a day off and relax at Al Azhar Park. It's quite the oasis of Cairo with lush green grasses and a beautiful sight of the city. The best thing you can do in Cairo is to learn more about their history. Camel safaris and relishing good food are also some of the other things that you can do. While the city is noisy and crowded, you should still opt to take a stroll around it. You will be surprised by the beautiful architecture and quaint segments. The Bazaar is another place you should hang out at for souvenirs, spices, artefacts and more. It will be quite an experience to make way through the bustling marketplace.

Food and restaurants in Cairo

As the city centre, Cairo does cater to various franchises of the world, including Pizza Hut, Burger King and McDonald's. The city also offers some of the finest cuisines from around the world such as Thai food, European and Mediterranean and Japanese, to name a few. However, they also have their own cuisine to boast. The Egyptian cuisine is very similar to the Middle East, comprising of bread, rice, vegetables and meat. However, thanks to the Nile River, they also indulge in adding fish in their cuisine. Typical restaurants in Cairo that follow the Egyptian cuisine have dishes such as aish baladi (pita bread ft. Egypt), hamam mahshi (pigeon stuffed with rice or wheat), mouloukhiya (rabbit stew or chicken stew with flavours of garlic and mallow), kushari (a wholesome mix of rice, macaroni, vermicelli, spaghetti, black lentils topped with tomato, garlic and chilli sauce), etc. Wholesome is the word to describe their meals as they do make you feel happy and satiated. While you're in the city, do not miss Ta'meya, which is basically Egyptian falafel made from fava beans.

To experience the best of Egyptian food, you should head to Abou El Sid, Sequoia, Felfela, Sabya and more. Al Khal Egyptian restaurant, Osmanly, Bab Al Qasr are also some restaurants in the city where you will find flavours of Egyptian culture. Since the city also has popular cuisine from around the world, you won't have to gorge down Egyptian meals. Even in Egypt, thanks to the river Nile, you can get the best of Japanese sushi at Shogun or Thai delicacies at Birdcage. As the city also has Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine to offer, overall, the food culture is quite impressive. You certainly wouldn't be bored with the food here as they cater to much of your moods.

How to reach Cairo

By Air

From India, the best way to reach Egypt would be to fly to Cairo. Major cities in India, such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, have flights to Cairo. There are two international airports in Egypt, in Cairo as well as Luxor. Before making your Egypt trip, it is essential for you to first list out your itinerary. Once you know what your trip's going to look like, accordingly, you can book your round trip flight tickets to Cairo or Luxor. In terms of flight deals to Cairo, it would be best to book round trips as that would give you a plethora of cheap flight ticket options. International airlines such as Lufthansa, Swiss, Singapore Airlines, Etihad and more are available and fly from India.

From the metro cities in India, there are regular flights to Cairo. However, for nonstop flights to Cairo without layovers or connecting flights, you should travel from Mumbai. There are three dedicated nonstop flights flying to Cairo from Mumbai. The flight duration to Cairo from Mumbai is comparatively less too, making travelling convenient. While you are finding the best international routes to Cairo from India, you should also take a peek at the accommodations. Since there are some lavish settings and basic but decent hotels in Cairo, you should book a room in Cairo while booking your flights.

By Road

Although there are road routes connecting Cairo and India, they come with some political concerns. The international route to Cairo from India passes through Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, parts of Jordan and Israel to reach Egypt eventually. While a road trip is possible, passing through these countries would be next to impossible. Hence, this is not a viable or recommended way to reach Cairo. Instead, flying to Cairo is ideal and comes with fewer concerns.

  About African Airways

South African Airways is the official national flag carrier of South Africa and is wholly owned by the government of the country. It has its headquarters in Airways Park within the premise of O.R Tambo International Airport. The airport is also a hub for South African Airways as well as a hub-and-spoke network that links about 40 domestic route cities and international route destinations spread across the continents of Africa, Europe, Asia, North and South America and Oceania. The airline's base is at O.R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. South African Airways joined the Star Alliance group in 2006, becoming the first African carrier to have signed a deal with one of the three major airline alliances. The airline was founded following acquisition of Union Airways (South Africa's first commercial airline) by the government of South Africa, in 1934. The airline was initially operated and managed by the South African Railways and Harbours Administration. In 1997, the airline changed its name from Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens to South African Airways. Further, as part of their rebranding, the airline also introduced a new aircraft livery and online ticketing services.

The airline bid farewell to its parent company, Transnet in 2006 to operate as an independent entity. It remains to be one of the largest state-owned services in South Africa. South African Airways also owns a subsidiary, Mango, which is a low-cost carrier that caters to the domestic market. The same has established links with South African Express and Airlink. In 2005, the airline became the first non-Saudi airline in the world to operate direct Hajj services to the holy city of Medina in Saudi Arabia. The same year, the airline also started operations on the Johannesburg-Accra-Washington, D.C. route four times in a week. For this journey, they used the Boeing 747-400. By 2006, South African Airways enabled an increase in in-flight services to various international destinations. The airline eventually retired the last of its 747-400 fleet in 2007. As the airline became a member of Star Alliance, the codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines was terminated. To commemorate their association with Star Alliance, South African Airways painted two of its aircraft, an Airbus A340-600 and a Boeing 737-800 with the Star Alliance livery.

In 2007, South African Airways made an announcement by revealing its 18-month comprehensive plan to restructure its functions and operations. The restructuring programme aimed to enhance the company's profitability. The plan was supposed to help the airline save up about R2.7 billion (USD 378.2 million). Interestingly, the airline did manage to save about R2.5 billion by 2009. Two of the retired Boeing 747-400s were reactivated to cater to the Lagos route and eventually Luanda too. By 2012, South African Airways commenced services to Beijing in China. They further announced plans to offer non-stop direct services to Beijing as well as Mumbai, in 2015. Although the airline initially used Star Alliance to operate services to China, they were soon changed with Air China's partnership accommodating flights to Beijing. The airline reported in the same year that destinations such as Munich, Perth, Hong Kong and Frankfurt are the only profit-making long-haul routes for South African Airways.

In contrast, the other destinations didn't add to the revenue. In 2017, the airline cut back on its fleet size by 23 percent of flights and acquired a loan from Standard Chartered Bank too. Despite trying to accumulate finances, the airline hasn't been able to recover from the losses and announced cease operations after serving the state for about 86 years. Instead, a new airline would be introduced to replace South African Airways.

Fleet size of South African Airways

As of 2020, South African Airways had a fleet size of 23 which only operated Airbus aircraft. The airline's fleet configuration included three Airbus A319-100s, ten Airbus A320-200s, one Airbus A330-200, five Airbus A330-300s and four Airbus A350-900s As an airline that was prevalent in the aviation industry for a long time, South African Airways' fleet has seen a considerable number of varied aircraft. While it might presently have aircraft predominantly from the Airbus family, the airline did host a number of diverse aircraft. These included Airspeed AS.6 Envoy, Avro 685 York, de Havilland DH.60 Gypsy Moth, Douglas DC-3, Douglas DC-7, Hawker Siddeley HS 748, Junkers Ju 52/3m, Junkers W.34, Lockheed L-18 Lodestar, Vickers VC.1 Viking and Vickers Viscount, to name a few. South African Airways also boasted a strong fleet of aircraft from the Boeing family at one point in time. They had Boeing 707-300s, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 747-200F, Boeing 747SP, Boeing 767-200ER, Boeing 737-200, to name a few. However, they eventually wiped out their mixed fleet with Boeing to only accommodate Airbus.

Baggage Allowance

South African Airways' baggage allowance is the standard protocol that is followed by major airlines in the world. The business class passengers are allowed to carry two pieces of baggage in the checked luggage, and the weight per piece should not exceed more than 32 kg. As for the economy class passengers, the weight per piece of baggage should not be more than 23 kg. The airline only allows one piece of baggage for the economy class passengers. The dimension of the checked baggage is very important to South African Airways as it is essential to fit all the bags perfectly in the cargo. The total dimension of the baggage should not be more than 158 cm. As for hand baggage, the business class passengers are allowed to take two pieces of baggage along with them. The dimensions of the hand baggage should not be more than 56cm (l) 36cm (w) 23cm (h). As for the accessory bag that the airline does accommodate, the passenger will need to ensure that they fit under the front seat. These bags could be a handbag or a laptop bag. The economy class passengers must also adhere to the same dimensions of baggage, but they are only allowed to carry one piece instead of two. Both the cabin class passengers need to check that their baggage weight is not more than 8 kg.

In-flight services

South African Airways boasts some of the finest in-flight services and experiences. As the airline does have a good fleet with decent aircraft, the seating has been enhanced to cater to the comfort of the passengers. They can enjoy the plush leather seats which are equipped with good legroom and armrest. The international route aircraft owned by South African Airways also have personalised in-flight entertainment systems that have been installed in each seat for passengers. Further, the airline also has a trained and friendly staff on board who offer great help in terms of accommodating in-flight services such as ordering meals, requesting for blankets, pillows and other amenities. The meals that can be availed on board are quite exquisite with the menu boasting global cuisine. Passengers certainly have quite a comfortable experience when travelling with South African Airways.

Popular routes and top cities of South African Airways

South African Airways had an illustrious list of cities and destinations that it operated in from domestic routes and international routes. They had regular flights to international destinations such as Perth, Sydney, Vienna, Brussels, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Beijing, Hong Kong, Copenhagen, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Accra, Athens, Milan, Rome, Osaka, Nairobi, Luxembourg City, Port Louis, Amsterdam, Lagos, Abuja, Mahe, Colombo, Zurich, Abu Dhabi, London, New York City, Lusaka, Harare and Victoria Falls, to name a few. However, they have shut down a majority of all their operations owing to the airline ceasing existence altogether. During its heydays, the airline's top cities and international routes were from Johannesburg to London, Hong Kong, Perth, Frankfurt and New York City. The airline's domestic routes were also quite strong as it held a good position in the domestic aviation market. However, following mergers, the airline gave away much of its domestic functions and operations to partners such as Mango, South African Express and Airlink.

Why travel by South African Airways?

South African Airways has followed a strong legacy ever since its inception. Over the years, the airline has further acquired the latest trends and facilities to ensure that their loyal customers and passengers receive the best treatment and services when flying with South African Airways. Aside from acquiring new international routes and domestic route connectivity, the airline has revamped its fleet to bring in aircraft that have better efficiency and possibilities to enable good in-flight services.

Some of the perks of South African Airways include the fact that they have allowed web check-ins as part of their services. Web check-ins make it easier for travellers as it reduces a lot of procedures that must otherwise be conducted at the airport's check-in counter. Simultaneously, the airline has also updated its website with the latest South African Airways flight schedule. Passengers can put details of their ticket to know the flight status as well as baggage allowance deals. Further, booking a South African Airways flight ticket on the airline's official website and other travel portals is quite convenient.