was evaluating whether to set up a low-cost carrier subsidiary for its Alexandria operations to address the growth of LCCs in the city. During the 2009–2010 Paris Airshow, the airline announced a new venture with US lessor Aviation Capital Group (ACG) and other Egyptian private and public shareholders to establish a leasing joint venture focusing on the Middle East and Northern Africa region. The new joint venture – named Civil Aviation Finance and Operating Leases (CIAF-Leasing) will initially focus on narrowbody aircraft. Following the revolution of 2011, Egyptair is reported to have suffered considerable losses. Egypt's civil aviation minister Wael El Maadawi said the airline lost an estimated 1.3 billion Egyptian pounds, or around $185 million, over the 2012/13 fiscal year, mainly due to an increase in fuel prices, the devaluation of the Egyptian currency and continuous strikes within the company. Losses for 2011/12 were apparently around double the 2012/13 figures. The carrier has reportedly suffered total losses of more than 7bn pounds, or nearly $1bn, since the 2011 uprising. In the middle of 2012, a group of flight attendants asked for the right to wear hijabs as part of their work uniform. The company granted their request and hijab-wearing flight attendants first appeared in November 2012. In November 2015, two weeks after the crash that brought down Metrojet Flight 9268 in the Sinai peninsula, Russian authorities banned Egyptair from flying to Russia, citing security concerns. In January 2016, Egyptair was fined for leasing aircraft to Sudan Airways during 2010–11, breaking economic sanctions imposed on Sudan in 1997. In April 2018, Russian authorities lifted the ban that prevented Egyptair from flying to Russia. Egyptair is one of the few airlines which does not serve alcoholic beverages on its flights. As part of a restructuring of Egyptair, Aviation Minister Air Marshall Younes Hamed announced the merger of Egyptair Express, Egyptair Cargo, and Egyptair Ground Services Company with the mainline airline. As of 4 November 2019, only Egyptair Express was officially merged with the rest of plan to be completed by the end of 2019. Corporate affairs Ownership and structure Egyptair is a state-owned company, 100% owned by the Government of Egypt. The Egyptair Holding Company was created in 2002 with seven companies, with two further companies added at later dates. There are three carriers, which operate under the same AOC but are managed separately and have their own profit and loss