At 5:58 (local time) on September 3rd, EgyptAir conducted its historic first charter flight between Cairo (CAI), Egypt, and São Paulo (Guarulhos), Brazil. This milestone marks the first foray of the Egyptian state airline into South America.
According to information from our associated media Aeroin, the inaugural flight was operated by the Boeing 787-9 with registration SU-GET, an aircraft that has a capacity for 309 passengers, with 30 seats in business class and 279 in economy class. According to data provided by the tourism authorities and the marketing agency Egypt Flight (Master Flights), the first scheduled flights maintain an occupancy rate between 68% and 71%.
The travel agency has also announced that a total of 17 flights will be conducted between September and April 2024, allowing travelers to access travel packages of 13 to 15 days, with a deal that includes a total of 4,944 seats.
Flight Schedule
- Cairo – São Paulo (Guarulhos) MS 3910 CAI 2355 – 0720 (+1) GRU / 16 and 30 of September; 14 and 28 of October; 11 and 25 of November; 8 and 23 of December; 6 and 20 of January 2024; 3 and 17 of February 2024; 2, 16 and 30 of March; and 13 of April 2024.
- São Paulo (Guarulhos) – Cairo MS3911 GRU 04:00 – 22:35 CAI / 4 and 18 of September; 2, 16 and 30 of October; 13 and 27 of November; 11 and 25 of December; 8 and 22 of January 2024; 5 and 19 of February 2024; 4 and 18 of March 2024; and 1st of April 2024.
The success of this initiative in terms of passenger occupancy could pave the way for the operations to become regular. Additionally, there has been mention of the possibility of EgyptAir expanding its horizons to Buenos Aires/Ezeiza (EZE), Argentina, with a stopover in São Paulo.
EgyptAir Aims to Turn Cairo into a Major Hub
EgyptAir is strategically building a global hub leveraging the privileged geographical location of Cairo (CAI). However, this expansion has faced delays due to security concerns stemming from terrorism, the events of the Arab Spring, and the COVID-19 health crisis, which affected air traffic in Egypt.
Historically, EgyptAir has primarily focused on connecting Egypt with major cities that host significant Egyptian ethnic communities. Now, the airline aims to boost tourism in the region and compete with other Arab airlines.
Compared to its routes in 2019, the company added destinations such as Dhaka (DAC), Doha (DOH), Dublin (DUB), Düsseldorf (DUS), Kinshasa (FIH), Manchester (MAN), Moroni (HAH), Newark (EWR) and Tel Aviv (TLV).
See Also: EgyptAir received its first Airbus A220-300
Regarding its fleet, EgyptAir is undergoing a renovation process that involves replacing Embraer 175, Airbus A320/A321ceo, and Boeing 777-200ER aircraft with A220-300, A320neo, A321neo, and Boeing 787-9 models.
See Also: EgyptAir becomes the first operator of the Airbus A321neo in Africa
Currently, its fleet consists of twelve Airbus A220-300, eight Airbus A320neo, four A321neo, seven Airbus A330-200, four A330-300, twenty-nine Boeing 737-800, six Boeing 777-300ER, and six Boeing 787-9.
