Air Cairo

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Air Cairo
Air Cairo Airbus A320neo landing at Berlin Brandenburg Airport
IATA ICAO Call sign
SM MSC AIR CAIRO
Founded2003 (2003)
Operating bases
Fleet size40
Destinations61[1]
Parent company
HeadquartersCairo, Egypt
Key peopleHussein Sherif (Chairman & CEO)[2]
Employees500[3]
Websitewww.aircairo.com

Air Cairo is an airline based in Cairo, Egypt.[4] The airline is part owned by Egyptair. Air Cairo operates scheduled flights to the Middle East and Europe and also operates charter flights to Egypt from Europe on behalf of tour operators. Its bases are Cairo International Airport, Sharm El Sheikh International Airport and Hurghada International Airport with the company head office located in the Sheraton Heliopolis Zone.[5]

History

An Air Cairo Airbus A320-200 in the previous livery

The airline was established in 2003. It is owned by Egyptair (60%) and 360 Investments (40%).

Recently, the company is re-modeling towards the low fare model which is planned to be the strongest low fare airline in Egypt. On 1 June 2012 Air Cairo launched its first ever scheduled flight from Borg El Arab Airport Alexandria to Kuwait International Airport, Queen Alia International Airport, King Abdulaziz International Airport, Tripoli International Airport, Sabha Airport, Misrata Airport and King Khaled International Airport. Air Cairo also launched its scheduled flights from Hurghada International Airport to Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, but those flights were suspended in the end of December 2015.[6]

On 5 November 2018, it was reported that the German aviation authority had banned Air Cairo - along with FlyEgypt - from flying to Germany, where it operated on behalf of German tour operators, due to regulatory violations.[7] Shortly afterward major European tour operators such as Thomas Cook Group and TUI Group announced they would end their contracts with Air Cairo and FlyEgypt.[8] Germany lifted its ban on 21 December.[9]

In March 2019, it was reported that the airline would be leasing Embraer 170 aircraft for operations on the airline's domestic routes within Egypt.[10]

In March 2021, Air Cairo announced it was to make a major push into the German-speaking market, having signed a sales cooperation agreement with SunExpress to market and manage up to 30 flights per week to the Red Sea resort of Hurghada from 14 airports in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Under the agreement, SunExpress would take care of all flight planning, revenue management, and sales, with Air Cairo operating the flights. In the course of the partnership, SunExpress and Air Cairo planned to expand the venture to other airports outside of German-speaking countries, SunExpress said in a statement. Air Cairo chairman and chief executive officer Hussein Sherif said the Benelux countries would be targeted next. The aim of the sales push was to boost tourism to Egypt to pre-Covid-19 levels.[11]

In October 2024, Air Cairo and Egyptair signed a codeshare agreement, integrating the two carriers' networks more closely.[12] Earlier that year, in March 2024, the airline had appointed Captain Ahmed Shanan as chairman and managing director,[13] and by August 2024 it had taken delivery of its 25th Airbus, raising the total fleet to 34 aircraft.[14]

During 2025, Air Cairo pursued an aggressive fleet-expansion programme. It agreed to lease four additional Airbus A320s from Macquarie AirFinance for delivery during the year and secured three Airbus A320neos for 2026, aiming to reach about 45 aircraft by the end of 2026.[15][16] The carrier described its longer-term goal as roughly doubling the fleet to as many as 72 aircraft by 2029–2030, built around the A320neo, while evaluating the larger A321neo for longer-range leisure routes.[17] In June 2025 it partnered with Acron Aviation to roll out a flight-data-monitoring system across its A320, ATR 72 and E190 fleet.[16]

In November 2025, Air Cairo named Hussein Sherif as chairman of the board and chief executive officer, succeeding Captain Ahmed Shanan; Sherif had previously led the airline during an earlier period of fleet growth.[2]

For the winter 2026–2027 season, Air Cairo expanded into the Nordic market, announcing new services from Oslo to both Cairo and Hurghada from late October 2026, operated with Airbus A320-family aircraft.[18] Ahead of the 2026 Hajj season the airline also broadened its pilgrimage charter network, launching flights to Saudi Arabia from Italy, Germany and Niger, with operational support from Egyptair.[19]

Destinations

As of June 2026, Air Cairo operates scheduled services - without leisure charters - to the following airports:[1]

Country City Airport Notes Refs
Albania Tirana Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza
ArmeniaYerevanZvartnots International Airport[20]
AustriaViennaVienna International Airport[21][22]
AzerbaijanBakuHeydar Aliyev International Airport
Bosnia and HerzegovinaBanja LukaBanja Luka International AirportSeasonal
SarajevoSarajevo International Airport
Burkina FasoOuagadougouThomas Sankara International Airport Ouagadougou[23]
Czech RepublicPragueVáclav Havel Airport Prague[24]
DenmarkBillundBillund AirportTerminated[25]
CopenhagenCopenhagen AirportTerminated[25]
EgyptAbu SimbelAbu Simbel Airport[26]
AlexandriaBorg El Arab International AirportBase
AssiutAssiut Airport
AswanAswan International Airport[27]
CairoCairo International AirportBase
El DabaaEl Alamein International AirportSeasonal[28]
GizaSphinx International Airport[29]
HurghadaHurghada International AirportBase
LuxorLuxor International Airport[30]
Marsa AlamMarsa Alam International Airport
Marsa MatruhMarsa Matruh International Airport
Sharm El SheikhSharm El Sheikh International AirportBase
SohagSohag International Airport[31]
The New CapitalCapital International Airport
FranceLyonLyon–Saint-Exupéry AirportSeasonal[32]
MarseilleMarseille Provence AirportSeasonal[32]
NantesNantes Atlantique AirportSeasonal[32]
ParisCharles de Gaulle AirportSeasonal[32]
GeorgiaTbilisiTbilisi International AirportTerminated
GermanyBerlinBerlin Brandenburg Airport[21][22]
BremenBremen AirportTerminated[21][22]
Cologne/BonnCologne Bonn Airport[21][22][33]
DresdenDresden AirportSeasonal[34]
DüsseldorfDüsseldorf Airport[35]
Erfurt/WeimarErfurt–Weimar AirportSeasonal[36]
FrankfurtFrankfurt Airport[35]
HamburgHamburg Airport[21][22]
HannoverHannover Airport[21][22]
Leipzig/HalleLeipzig/Halle Airport[21][22]
MunichMunich Airport[21][22]
Münster/OsnabrückMünster Osnabrück Airport[37]
NurembergNuremberg Airport[21][22]
StuttgartStuttgart Airport[21][22]
HungaryBudapestBudapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport[38]
ItalyBariBari Karol Wojtyła Airport[39]
BergamoMilan Bergamo AirportTerminated[40]
BolognaBologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport
CataniaCatania–Fontanarossa AirportSeasonal[41]
MilanMilan Malpensa Airport[39]
NaplesNaples International Airport[39]
RomeRome Fiumicino Airport[39]
VeniceVenice Marco Polo AirportTerminated[42]
VeronaVerona Villafranca AirportSeasonal[43]
JordanAmmanQueen Alia International Airport[44]
AqabaKing Hussein International AirportTerminated[45]
KazakhstanAlmatyAlmaty International Airport[46]
AqtöbeAliya Moldagulova International Airport[47]
AstanaNursultan Nazarbayev International Airport
QostanaiQostanai AirportSeasonal[48]
KuwaitKuwait CityKuwait International Airport[24]
LebanonBeirutBeirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport[24]
LibyaTripoliMitiga International Airport[49]
MoroccoTangierTangier Ibn Battouta Airport[50]
North MacedoniaSkopjeSkopje International Airport
NorwayOsloOslo AirportSeasonal
Begins October 2026		[18]
PolandKatowiceKatowice Airport
WarsawWarsaw Chopin Airport[24]
PortugalLisbonLisbon Airport
QatarDohaHamad International Airport
RussiaKaliningradKhrabrovo AirportSeasonal charter[51]
KazanĞabdulla Tuqay Kazan International Airport[52]
MoscowSheremetyevo International AirportSeasonal[52]
PermBolshoye Savino AirportSeasonal charter[53]
Saint PetersburgPulkovo AirportSeasonal[52]
TyumenRoshchino AirportTerminated
UfaMustai Karim Ufa International Airport[52]
YekaterinburgKoltsovo AirportSeasonal[52]
Saudi ArabiaAbhaAbha International Airport[54]
Al JawfAl Jouf Airport[55]
DammamKing Fahd International Airport
GassimPrince Nayef bin Abdulaziz International Airport
JeddahKing Abdulaziz International Airport[31]
JizanKing Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Airport[55][31]
MedinaPrince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport
RiyadhKing Khalid International Airport[31]
SakakahAl Jawf International Airport
TabukPrince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport[55][31]
YanbuPrince Abdul Mohsin Bin Abdulaziz International Airport[56]
SenegalDakarBlaise Diagne International AirportTerminated[23]
SerbiaBelgradeBelgrade Nikola Tesla Airport
SlovakiaBratislavaBratislava Airport[24]
SpainBilbaoBilbao Airport
MálagaMálaga Airport[30]
ValenciaValencia Airport
SwitzerlandZurichZurich Airport[35]
Switzerland
France
Germany		Basel
Mulhouse
Freiburg		EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg[21][22]
TurkeyIstanbulIstanbul Airport[57]
IstanbulSabiha Gökçen International Airport[58]
United Arab EmiratesSharjahSharjah International Airport
UzbekistanTashkentTashkent International Airport[59]

Codeshare agreements

Air Cairo has a codeshare agreement with Egyptair, signed in October 2024.[60][12]

In addition, Air Cairo has a sales cooperation agreement with SunExpress to market and manage up to 30 flights per week to the Red Sea resort of Hurghada from 14 airports in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.[22]

Fleet

As of February 2026, Air Cairo operates the following aircraft:[17][61]

Air Cairo fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
Airbus A320-200 13 — 174 Four delivered in 2025[15]
Airbus A320neo 18[62] — 186 Further deliveries due in 2026[15]
ATR 72-600 6[63] — 70
Embraer 190 3[64] — 110
Total 40 —

References

  1. "Air Cairo".
  2. "Air Cairo appoints Hussein Sherif as new chairman". The Egyptian Gazette. 28 November 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  3. "Airlines based in Egypt: Air Cairo". airlineupdate. Retrieved 12 June 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. "Air Cairo". www.aircairo.com. Air Cairo. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  5. "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-03-27. pp. 53–54.
  6. "Er Kairo otkazao sve letove iz BG" [Air Cairo canceled all flights from BG]. b92.net (in Serbian).
  7. airliners.de - "Two Egypt carriers banned from landing in Germany" 5 December 2018
  8. "TUI Group, Thomas Cook drop use of FlyEgypt, Air Cairo". ch-aviation. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  9. "Ägypten: Auch Air Cairo darf wieder ab Deutschland fliegen" [Egypt: Air Cairo is also allowed to fly from Germany again]. airliners.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  10. "Egypt's Air Cairo to add wet-leased Embraer capacity in 2Q19". ch-aviation.com. 18 March 2019.
  11. "Egypt's Air Cairo, SunExpress ink cooperation agreement". ch-aviation.com. 8 March 2021.
  12. "Air Cairo to expand fleet to 40 aircraft within 3 months: Aviation minister". Ahram Online. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  13. "Air Cairo Appoints Captain Ahmed Shannan as Chairman and Managing Director" (Press release). Air Cairo. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  14. "Air Cairo adds a new Airbus aircraft (SU-BVN) to its fleet" (Press release). Air Cairo. 27 August 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  15. "Air Cairo". Aviation Week Network. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  16. Attia, Mohamed (28 June 2025). "Air Cairo unveils fleet expansion plan, strategic safety partnership". The Egyptian Gazette. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  17. "EgyptAir and Air Cairo Signal a New Phase in Egypt's Aviation Expansion". African Pilot. 12 February 2026. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  18. "Air Cairo to launch Oslo–Cairo and Oslo–Hurghada routes for winter 2026". Aviation24.be. 9 March 2026. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  19. "Air Cairo expands charter network across Europe and West Africa". Egypt Independent. May 2026. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  20. "Air Cairo Adds Yerevan Service From June 2024". AeroRoutes. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  21. "Flight plan". sunexpress.com.
  22. "Egypt's Air Cairo, SunExpress ink cooperation agreement". ch-aviation.com. 8 March 2021.
  23. "Air Cairo moves West Africa debut to late-Dec 2023". AeroRoutes. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  24. "Air Cairo S17 Europe service additions". routesonline.com.
  25. "Air Cairo to resume three services from Sharm el-Sheikh to Italy from December 2020". aaco.org. 20 January 2021.
  26. "Air Cairo files Abu Simbel – Aswan schedule from Oct 2019". routesonline.com. 26 July 2019.
  27. "Air Cairo July - October 2022 ATR72 Operations". aeroroutes.com. 21 July 2022.
  28. "Air Cairo Begins el Dabaa – Almaty Service from late-July 2024".
  29. "Be the first to travel from Sphinx International Airport with Air Cairo special prices". aircairo.com. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  30. "Air Cairo NS22 International Network Additions". aeroroutes.com. 7 April 2022. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  31. "AIR CAIRO NW24 SOHAG NETWORK EXPANSION". aeroroutes.com. 27 August 2024.
  32. "Air Cairo 4Q22 France / Italy Network Additions". aeroroutes.com. 12 July 2022.
  33. "Air Cairo NW24 Europe Network Additions – 22AUG24".
  34. "Air Cairo NS25 Hurghada – Germany Network Additions".
  35. "Air Cairo flies from Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Zurich to Hurghada". aerotelegraph.com. 16 December 2020.
  36. "Air Cairo NS25 Hurghada – Germany Network Additions".
  37. "Air Cairo NS23 Network Additions – 13Oct22". aeroroutes.com. 14 October 2022.
  38. Liu, Jim (5 October 2020). "Air Cairo resumes Hurghada – Budapest service from Nov 2020". routesonline.com.
  39. "Air Cairo returns to flights from Italy to the Red Sea from 23 July". askanews.it. 28 May 2021.
  40. "Air Cairo schedules new Italian routes in S19". routesonline.com. 2018.
  41. "AIR CAIRO OUTLINES EMBRAER E190 OPERATIONS IN NS23". aeroroutes.com. 29 November 2022.
  42. "Air Cairo W18 network additions". routesonline.com.
  43. "Air Cairo NW24 Europe Network Additions – 22AUG24".
  44. "Air Cairo NW24 Sohag Network Expansion".
  45. Liu, Jim (30 September 2019). "Air Cairo adds Aqaba service from Oct 2019". routesonline.com.
  46. Liu, Jim (26 July 2024). "Air Cairo Begins El Dabaa – Almaty Service From late-July 2024". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  47. Liu, Jim (10 July 2024). "Air Cairo Adds Sharm el Sheikh – Aqtobe Service From July 2024". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  48. Liu, Jim (8 May 2025). "Air Cairo Resumes Sharm el Sheikh – Kostanay in NS25". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  49. "Air Cairo Set to Resume Flights to Libya in December". libyareview.com. 15 December 2024.
  50. "Air Cairo moves Tangier launch to January 2024". AeroRoutes. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  51. Севостьянова, Милана (6 August 2025). "Больше солнца и моря: из Калининграда станет проще улететь в Египет". Про Город Калининград (in Russian). KaliningradTV.ru - новостной портал Калининграда. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  52. "Air Cairo Adds Southwind 550-seater Boeing 777 Service in NW23". AeroRoutes. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  53. Кричфалушая, Анна (30 July 2025). "Египетская авиакомпания запустила чартеры из Перми в Шарм-эль-Шейх". ura.news (in Russian). Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  54. "AIR CAIRO ADDS ABHA SERVICE FROM DEC 2022". aeroroutes.com. 14 November 2022.
  55. "Air Cairo NW24 Saudi Arabia Network Expansion". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  56. "Air Cairo plans Yanbu April 2017 launch". routesonline.com.
  57. "Air Cairo NW24 Europe Network Additions – 22AUG24".
  58. "AIR CAIRO ADDS CAIRO – ISTANBUL SABIHA GOKCEN SERVICE FROM JUNE 2024". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  59. "Air Cairo is operating a new route between Sharm El Sheikh and Tashkent in Uzbekistan". aaco.org. 18 November 2020.
  60. "Egyptair and Air Cairo sign codeshare agreement". arabianaerospace.aero. 1 September 2020.
  61. "Global Airline Guide 2025 - Air Cairo". Airliner World. September 2025. p. 58.
  62. "Air Cairo receives its first Airbus A320neo | Airbus".
  63. "Egypt's Air Cairo inducts first turboprop, an ATR72-600". Ch-Aviation. 18 July 2022.
  64. "Air Cairo's New Embraer 190s". airspace-africa.com. 3 January 2023.
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