Many travelers might be familiar with Egypt’s largest airline, Egyptair. They might even know about its low-key subsidiary, Air Sinai from our articles. Today, we’d like to introduce you to another Egyptian carrier by the name of flyEgypt: A six-year-old carrier with seven aircraft and an impressive list of destinations.
Six years of operations
Launched in 2015, flyEgypt is an Egyptian airline that offers domestic and regional service. Additionally, the carrier conducts charter operations to an impressive 80 cities across Europe.
“We connect Cairo and the world to Egypt’s top holiday destinations, and support hardworking Egyptians around the region looking to fly home,” the airline says on its website.
According to Arabian Aerospace, flyEgypt’s network is an “unusual blend” of 70% charter flights to Europe, with the other 30% being scheduled services. Going to the website’s list of destinations and it certainly appears impressive for a carrier with just seven aircraft.
Indeed, there are 20 cities in Germany alone, with another 12 in France, five in Poland, and six in Finland. Other countries served by the airline include Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Norway, Hungary, Armenia, and more*. Of course, these destinations make up the airline’s charter destinations- ferrying European holidaymakers to sunny resort spots in Egypt such as Sharm El Sheik and Hurghada.
*Destinations listed are during normal, non-pandemic operations.
In terms of domestic and regional service, the airline had planned to operate flights from Cairo to a handful of Egyptian destinations (Sharm El Sheikh, Marsa Alam, Luxor, and Aswan). The carrier’s CEO told Arabian Aerospace the following in 2019:
“Launching the domestic network has been a key component of our long-term growth plans, and we’re very excited to be finally seeing this milestone come to life, not only is it important for us as an airline, but we believe that it helps support tourism and rural employment, which are both critical for Egypt’s national economy.”
Regionally, the carrier has flown Kuwait, Lebanon, three cities in Saudi Arabia, and more. However, most of these services are suspended due to the ongoing crisis.
A fleet of just seven 737s
For all of its destinations offered, the airline has a humble fleet of just seven Boeing 737s. Five of these are the popular -800 variant, while the other two are the shorter -700. All -800s are configured in an all-economy set up with 189 seats, while the -700s have 148 economy seats.
The jets are all on lease and have flown for a diverse list of carriers prior to serving with flyEgypt. Previous airlines include Air Berlin, Air Europa, Spicejet, Smartwings, and Pegasus. These aircraft are getting old, though, with an average age of 14.2 years at the time of this article’s publication.
According to data from Planespotters.net, the airline is due to take delivery of some 737 MAX jets at some point in the future, with two being listed as future additions to the fleet.
A new service to Ras Al Khaimah
The airline most recently launched service from Cairo to Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE. Gulf News notes that the airline will operate the service three times per week on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
With Egyptians migrating to countries across the GCC looking for economic opportunities, this service could indeed be a winner- perhaps more so when this global health crisis is over. The new flight would also serve to boost Egypt’s tourism industry, attracting residents from the UAE.
Have you ever flown with flyEgypt before? Share your experience by leaving a comment.
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