Lotus Air was an airline

Airline

An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...

 based in Cairo

Cairo

Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...

, Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

. It was a privately owned charter airline flying mainly to Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. Its main base was Cairo International Airport

Cairo International Airport

Cairo International Airport is the busiest airport in Egypt and the primary hub for Star Alliance member EgyptAir. The airport is located to the north-east of the city around from the business area of the city.The airport is administered by the Egyptian Holding Co...

, with hubs at Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport

Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport

Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport , formerly known as Ophira International Airport, is an international airport located in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt...

, Hurghada International Airport

Hurghada International Airport

Hurghada International Airport is an international airport located in Hurghada, Egypt.The airport is located inland, southwest of El Dahar .In 2009 the airport handled 6,730,087 passengers .-Terminal:...

 and Luxor International Airport

Luxor International Airport

Luxor International Airport is the main airport serving the city of Luxor, Egypt. It is located four miles east of the city.Many charter airlines use the airport, as it is a popular tourist destination for those visiting the River Nile and the Valley of the Kings.In 2009, the airport served...

.

History

Lotus Air was one of the first private airlines in the Middle East and North Africa region. The airline was established in 1997 by Al-Fawares Holding Company and commenced operations in 1998.

The main business centred around charter operations, ad-hoc flights, ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) operations, damp leases, technical services, ground handling and crew training.

The airline was the first in Egypt to receive EASA standards maintenance certification and IOSA

IATA Operational Safety Audit

The IATA Operational Safety Audit programme is an internationally recognised and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline. IOSA uses internationally recognised quality audit principles and is designed to conduct audits in a...

 certification (IATA Operational Safety Audit).

Fleet

The Lotus Air fleet consisted of the following aircraft (at June 2010):

Lotus Air Fleet

Aircraft	In Service	Orders	Passengers (Economy)	Total
Airbus A320 Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...	3	0	180	3

As of January 2011, the average age of the Lotus Air fleet was 12.7 years (http://www.airfleets.net/ageflotte/Lotus%20Air.htm).