May 5, 2020 Air Sinai

The Liberty Gazette

May 5, 2020

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Jews and Arabs have been at odds with each other for millennia, since the time of their ancestors, Isaac and Ishmael. So, in 1979, the peace treaty opening diplomatic relations between Israel and Egypt was something of a miracle. Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Still, there has always been tension between the Jewish and Arab nations. Egypt was the first to recognize Israel as a State. Today, an estimated ten million Coptic Christians live in Egypt. That’s about ten percent of the country’s population. Coptic Christians trace their foundation to the apostle Saint Mark and are the largest Christian community in the Middle East. They even have their own pope.

As Christians are drawn to pilgrimages to Israel, the motherland of the faith, there were millions living right next door, but for centuries unable to visit. The peace treaty was a step toward thawing relations. The hope was that times had changed, and as part of the treaty, within three years of the signing, airlines would offer civilian routes for people to travel to and from Cairo and Tel Aviv. The United States was the overseer of the treaty and flying wasn’t just faster than camel-back. The requirement for direct flights to be maintained by and between Israel and Egypt would encourage even those with opposing worldviews to work toward peace. While that’s not likely to happen globally or forever, what the treaty did was create easier access for those who are motivated to take advantage of the open doors for positive change.

While much of the rest of the Arab world shunned Egypt, President Sadat pushed forward, and Egyptian Christians, missionaries, and business people bought airline tickets and felt the depth of this historic change in the world to their very core.

An Egyptian entrepreneur founded Nefertiti Airlines, and Israel’s national carrier, El Al, offered the flights from their side. But the entrepreneur also had bus lines, and apparently wanted to get out of the aviation business. His country would have to fill the gap and provide the transportation agreed to.

Hatred toward Israel among the general Egyptian population made the government reluctant to fly their EgyptAir airline to Tel Aviv. At least publicly. Sadat was assassinated by his own men in 1981. Out of fear, they created Air Sinai in 1982. The national carrier owned and operated the planes and employed the crews, but the only place one could find evidence of EgyptAir’s presence that fulfilled the country’s obligation to the treaty was on paper. The fleet of aircraft was painted white, with no logos, no names. Booking a flight was a challenge, too. Passengers had to go through travel agents, and once in the airport, there were no signs for the gates.

Relations are still tense, especially since 2012, with the threat of “Arab Spring,” but seem to be warming. Air Sinai is the only airline flying the routes now, in rather ghostly-looking airplanes.

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