Air Cairo: EgyptAir's Leisure Subsidiary Aiming to Triple Its Fleet by 2030

The Leisure Arm of the EgyptAir Group

Unlike its parent company, which is geared toward traditional scheduled traffic, Air Cairo focuses on tourist traffic to the Red Sea resorts, operating both its own scheduled flights and charter flights on behalf of European tour operators. The change at the top in November 2025, when Hussein Sherif was named chairman and CEO, coincided with the acceleration of the fleet growth plan.

A Fast-Growing Fleet

It now operates 39 aircraft — 12 Airbus A320s, 18 A320neos, 6 ATR 72-600s and 3 Embraer 190s — with the stated goal of reaching around 72 aircraft by 2029-2030, a growth plan that would make it one of the largest leisure carriers in the Mediterranean region.

A Network Focused on Europe and the Red Sea

Routes link major European cities to Egypt's seaside destinations, often sold together with holiday packages by continental tour operators, along with a scheduled network from Cairo to the Middle East and several African countries.

What passengers say

Recent passengers report competitive fares on charter routes to Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada, and a fleet seen as younger than many European leisure competitors thanks to the new A320neos. Among the most common complaints: delays during peak season and customer service that is less responsive when the flight was booked through a third-party tour operator rather than directly.

Anyone buying a holiday package to the Red Sea, or flying from Cairo to Middle Eastern and African destinations that few other carriers serve, will find Air Cairo a good option. Anyone looking for a full scheduled service in the style of EgyptAir will have to look elsewhere, given the airline's leisure positioning.

If your flight is part of a holiday package, always keep the tour operator's paperwork as well as the plane ticket: in the event of changes or cancellations, it is often the tour operator, not Air Cairo, that handles the refund directly.