Egyptian actor and martial arts professional Yousef Mansour has signed a contract  for a Project Phoenix CRJ aircraft at the ongoing Meba show.

Mansour's company – Action Film International, an international film production and distribution company headquartered in Cairo, has agreed to take the delivery of a 12-seat VIP configured Phoenix CRJ in September 2009, said a company statement.

The aircraft will be based in Cairo and will be used to fly Yousef and his film crews on location.

He is also sharing the aircraft with several Middle East-business colleagues who will use it for private charters around the Middle East. The aircraft will be managed by ExecuJet Middle East, operating on one of its European AOCs.

In addition to this, The Phoenix CRJ will also have a starring role in Action Film International’s new film 'Sooner or Later', which Yousef has written and will direct.

Filming will commence in Cairo; around the Red Sea and in Phoenix, Arizona, from next March. The aircraft, especially the interior, will feature a lot, said the actor.

“What a great showcase for a very special executive jet,” said Mansour, who is meeting with Project Phoenix designers in Dubai this week to determine the look and colours.

“I am really looking forward to this aircraft’s arrival. It is like the beginning of a play - you have the script, you rehearse and you wait expectantly for the curtain to go up,” he quipped. 

Action Film International has produced 10 major films since 1992 and currently has four in the pre-production phase, plus a major TV series called Triple 1, a co-production with Sylvester Stallone.

Yousef Mansour made his motion picture debut 19 years ago, appearing in the first Arabic film to exhibit the martial arts.

Yourself has always been interested in aviation and at one time owned a Cessna 501.

“My pilot was always raving about the Swearingen SJ30 and kept encouraging me to take a look at this small, but long range business jet. I duly followed its progress since 1996.'

'Visiting EBACE Show this year in Geneva I stumbled upon it again in the static, but was also drawn to the Action Aviation display (Project Phoenix’s exclusive ME distributor) and a familiar looking logo.'

'We talked and interest in the bigger CRJ really evolved from there, he said.

After that chance meeting in Geneva, within a week Yousef was meeting with Mike Cappuccitti, Project Phoenix’s president, and they started to explore all the ramifications of owning the aircraft.

“We are delighted to secure this contract today with Action Film International – our first customer in the Middle East and we are especially delighted by the great endorsement from Yousef Mansour,  who will be a prolific regular flyer on the aircraft,” Cappuccitti added. -TradeArabia News Service