| Ahmed Shafik أحمد شفيق |
|
|---|---|
| Prime Minister of Egypt | |
| In office 31 January 2011 – 3 March 2011 |
|
| Leader | Hosni Mubarak Mohamed Hussein Tantawi (Acting) |
| Preceded by | Ahmed Nazif |
| Succeeded by | Essam Sharaf |
| Minister of Civil Aviation | |
| In office 18 September 2002 – 31 January 2011 |
|
| Prime Minister | Atef Ebeid Ahmed Nazif |
| Preceded by | Ahmed Abdel Rahman Nasser |
| Succeeded by | Ibrahim Manaa |
| Commander of the Egyptian Air Force | |
| In office 7 April 1996 – 1 March 2002 |
|
| President | Hosni Mubarak |
| Preceded by | Ahmed Abdel Rahman Nasser |
| Succeeded by | Magdy Galal Sharawi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 1941 (age 70) Cairo, Egypt |
| Political party | National Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | Egyptian Air Academy |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Egypt |
| Service/branch | Egyptian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1961–2002 |
| Rank | Air Marshal |
| Battles/wars | North Yemen Civil War Six-Day War War of Attrition October War |
Ahmed Mohamed Shafik (Arabic: أحمد محمد شفيق, IPA: [ˈʔæħmæd mæˈħæmːæd ʃæˈfiːʔ]; born November 1941) is a former senior commander in the Egyptian Air Force and politician who served as Prime Minister of Egypt from January 2011 to March 2011.
After a career as a fighter pilot, squadron, wing and base commander, Shafik was the Commander of the Egyptian Air Force from 1996 to 2002, reaching the rank of air marshal. Thereafter he served in the government as Minister of Civil Aviation from 2002 to 2011.
He was appointed as Prime Minister by President Hosni Mubarak on January 29, 2011 in response to the 2011 Egyptian Revolution making him the final Prime Minister to serve as part of Mubarek's administration.[1] Amidst a rapidly changing political situation, he remained in office only for a month, resigning on 3 March 2011.
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Shafik was born in Cairo in November 1941. After graduating from the Egyptian Air Academy in 1961, he joined the Egyptian Air Force (EAF) at the age of 20. Later in his career, he gained a master's degree in Military Sciences and a Ph.D. in the National Strategy of Outer-Space.[2]
As a young officer, Shafik served as a fighter pilot and was later appointed as fighter air squadron commander. During the War of Attrition (1967–1970), Shafik saw active service as the Multi-Task Airwing Commander. Subsequently he took up a post as an air base commander.[2]
During the 1973 October War, Shafik was a senior fighter pilot under Hosni Mubarak's command. It is believed that Shafik shot down two Israeli aircraft during the war on October 14, 1973.[3]
During his 40 years of service in the Egyptian Air Force as a fighter pilot, he flew several types of fighter jets including the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 and the Dassault Mirage 2000, he also acted as the wing commander for the Egyptian Air Force acrobatic team. He is also fully qualified on the American-built McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon.
In 1984 Shafik was appointed a military attaché in the Egyptian Embassy in Rome. He continued in this role until 1986. During 1988 to 1991, Shafik served several military senior command positions before he was appointed as the Commander of the Air Operations Department.[2]
In September 1991, Shafik was appointed as the Air Force's Chief of Staff, holding this position until April 1996, when he became Commander of the Egyptian Air Force. In 2002, he was appointed as Minister of Civil Aviation and was succeeded by his chief of staff Air Marshal Magdy Galal Sharawi.[2]
As a civil aviation minister, he tackled some of the major problems at the national carrier EgyptAir, upgraded Egyptian airports management and infrastructure and improved relations with domestic and international private operators and international regulatory authorities.
Shafik undertook an ambitious restructuring plan for EgyptAir and managed to achieve a turnaround in the company's performance. Egyptair became a Star Alliance member in 2008.
Shafik is also considered to have effectively modernized the Egyptian airports, transforming the Cairo International Airport into a regional hub through the inauguration of Terminal 3 in 2008 and bringing its annual capacity to 22 million passengers. Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport reached an annual capacity of 8 million passengers after opening Terminal 2.
In the course of the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, Shafik was named Prime Minister on January 29. However, his Premiership was to be short-lived, lasting just over a month, after he resigned on 3 March due to pressure from protestors and the opposition. They had objected to Shafik staying on as PM, having been seen as one of Mubarak's old guard.[4] Shafik was alleged to have been a member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces that took over power after Mubarak's departure on February 11, 2011.[5] Shafik was succeeded by Essam Sharaf after he stepped down.
On 10 July, Shafik made his first public appearance since resigning as Prime Minister. He attended the graduation ceremony of the Egyptian Air Force Academy class along with the Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces.[6]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Unknown |
Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Air Force 1991–1996 |
Succeeded by Unknown |
| Preceded by Ahmed Abdel Rahman Nasser |
Commander of the Egyptian Air Force 1996–2002 |
Succeeded by Magdy Galal Sharawi |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Ahmed Abdel Rahman Nasser |
Minister of Civil Aviation 2002–2011 |
Succeeded by Ibrahim Manaa |
| Preceded by Ahmed Nazif |
Prime Minister of Egypt 2011 |
Succeeded by Essam Sharaf |
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