Operations began on November 23, 1982 with a flight from Cairo to Amsterdam to London.

Their first flight was to Amsterdam, as both brothers lived in Holland for a portion of their childhood.

In 1987, ZAS was granted a license to carry passenger charter operations.

ZAS operated a variety of aircraft, from old Boeing 707s to modern MD-87s and Airbus A300s.

The Gulf War of 1990-91 brought a downturn in the Egyptian tourist business and ZAS was heavily affected.