EgyptAir launches new routes to meet Middle Eastern demand
EgyptAir is adding new routes. Photo: Rob Finlayson
To better serve the growing Middle Eastern aviation market, EgyptAir has launched a number of new international routes. From thrice weekly direct service between Cairo and Abha, Saudi Arabia, to almost-daily service to Iraq, EgyptAir has upped its flight schedule to address increased demand.
Hussein Massoud
Beginning mid-month, EgyptAir will provide direct service to Baghdad and Erbil, Iraq. With four weekly flights to Baghdad and three weekly flights to Erbil, this route was created to connect Iraq with Europe and North America through its Cairo hub. Flights to Baghdad will operate every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday; EgyptAir will serve Erbil every Monday, Thursday and Friday.
Increasing commerce between these regions is a key goal, said EgyptAir Holding CEO Hussein Massoud. “Egypt and Iraq are linked together with commercial and cultural bonds; Iraq represents a fertile market for the Egyptian investments,” he explained.
EgyptAir Airlines Chairman and CEO Captain Ayman Nasr concurs, but points to another main benefit: linking Africa with the rest of the world. “EgyptAir is confident of the ability to execute a development plan in the Middle East and to create a seamless link with Europe and Africa,” he said in a statement.
Increased services to Iraq and Africa aren’t EgyptAir’s only priorities, however. On June 20, EgyptAir launched a direct route between Cairo and Abha. Operating every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, this route brings the total number of weekly EgyptAir flights to Saudi Arabia to 98, Massoud said.
What’s more, EgyptAir increased service to its own continent by upping its number of weekly flights to Abuja, Nigeria. Since June 1, the carrier has operated six weekly flights from its Cairo hub to Abuja.
