Airbus Updates No.4504

 

EGYPTAIR discloses order for an additional 6 Airbus A350 aircraft

Paris, France, 18 June 2025 – EGYPTAIR has disclosed a firm order for an additional six A350-900s as part of its expansion strategy to meet growing demand for air travel. The agreement takes the airline’s total order for the type to 16 A350-900. 

“We are continuously working to modernise our fleet and deliver a more comfortable and optimised travel experience. This collaboration with Airbus builds on a long-standing relationship that spans decades, marked by multiple successful deals and strategic partnerships in the aviation sector. Today’s announcement reflects our commitment to integrating the next-generation aircraft into our fleet. It will enable us to meet rising demand for long-haul travel, support our network expansion plans over the next five years, and contribute to Egypt’s broader efforts to promote more sustainable air transport.” said EGYPTAIR Chairman and CEO Captain Ahmed Adel.

“This is the second time EGYPTAIR has placed an order for the A350 and the decision is testament to the value the aircraft provides. The A350 is set to be a pillar in EGYPTAIR’s journey, and we look forward to these aircraft playing a pivotal role in the airline’s continued success, growth and decarbonisation ambition," said Benoît de Saint-Exupéry,  Airbus EVP Sales of the Commercial Aircraft business. 

The A350 is the world’s most modern and efficient widebody aircraft and has set new standards for intercontinental travel. It offers the longest range capability of any commercial airliner in production today. Powered by the latest generation of Rolls-Royce engines, the aircraft is designed to fly up to 9,700 nautical miles / 18,000 kilometres non-stop, using 25% less fuel than previous generation types and with a similar reduction in carbon emissions.

The A350-900s are equipped with a comfortable and spacious Airspace cabin, wide seats, high ceilings and alluring ambient lighting. 

As with all Airbus aircraft, the A350 aircraft is already able to operate with up to 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Airbus is targeting to have its aircraft up to 100% SAF capable by 2030.

At the end of May 2025, the A350 had won over 1,390 orders from 60 customers worldwide.

Airbus Updates No.4354

 

Cyprus Airways resumes Airbus A220 growth

Cyprus Airways (CY, Larnaca) has taken delivery of its third A220-300, resuming this subfleet growth despite earlier concerns about the Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engines.

Lessor Azorra Aviation said it had redelivered one of its twelve A220-300s acquired from EgyptAir earlier this year to the Cypriot carrier. SU-GEY (msn 55059) was ferried from Cairo International to Larnaca on August 31, 2024, and is due to become 5B-DEC. The aircraft is of 2020 vintage.

Cyprus Airways plans to take another A220-300 from Azorra, this time brand-new, by the end of 2024.

The Cypriot carrier already operates two units of the type on lease from Air Lease Corporation. While it initially planned to grow the subfleet to 12 units - including six on a prospective order directly from Airbus Canada - it took a step back on these plans earlier this year due to the prevailing engine issues. It did not respond to ch-aviation's request for comment regarding its current plan to grow the A220 fleet beyond the two units from Azorra.

The ch-aviation fleets module shows the airline also operates two A320-200s.

Azorra placed another of the ex-EgyptAir A220s with Breeze Airways earlier this year. The other ten aircraft remain stored at Cairo International. The lessor has an unfilled firm order for 20 more units directly from the manufacturer.

Airbus Updates No.4214

 

EgyptAir sells its Airbus A220s

FlightGlobal is reporting that EgyptAir has sold its entire fleet of Airbus A220s to leasing company Azorra, which will remarket the aircraft and find new customers for them.

In September 2019, EgyptAir took delivery of its first of twelve A220-300s. Operating the type wasn't as successful as planned as some of the aircraft were plagued with engine issues. Although EgyptAir isn't the only airline facing this, they have decided to phase-out the type.

According to the FlightGlobal-article, the CEO of EgyptAir has said that the disposal "clears the path for new Airbus wide-body aircraft", which signals that this deal might be linked to the contract the airline signed with Airbus during the 2023 Dubai Air Show for ten A350-900s.

With the retirement of its A220s, EgyptAir will focus its narrowbody-fleet on the Airbus A320neo, A321neo, Boeing 737-800 and upcoming 737-8.

Airbus Updates No.4155

 

EGYPTAIR announces order for 10 A350-900s to meet growing demand for air travel

Dubai, 14 November 2023 – EGYPTAIR customers will soon be flying to destinations around the globe aboard new Airbus A350-900s, after the airline disclosed an order for 10 aircraft at the Dubai Airshow. 

Once added to the fleet, the A350-900s will provide EGYPTAIR with 25% less fuel burn and, in turn, reduced emissions, while passengers enjoy the comfort of the Airbus AirSpace cabin, including a feeling of true spaciousness, wide seats, high ceilings and alluring ambient lighting.

The signing took place at the 2023 Dubai Airshow, in the presence of EGYPTAIR’s Chairman and CEO, Engineer Yehia Zakaria and Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International, Christian Scherer. 

"EGYPTAIR is a key partner of Airbus in the Middle East and Africa. We take immense pride in this partnership aimed at furthering the aviation industry. Our focus lies in the enhancement of our fleet to embrace some of the most contemporary aircraft available,” says EGYPTAIR Chairman and CEO Yehia Zakaria. 

Zakaria adds: "EGYPTAIR has firmed up an agreement with Airbus to procure 10 A350-900 aircraft, each boasting a capacity of 340 seats. These aircraft come equipped with cutting-edge technologies and Rolls-Royce XWB Trent engines, known for their modern design and reduced fuel emissions and consumption. As we tackle growing demand across our network, this aircraft is the optimal choice. 

“Once delivered the A350-900 will be EGYPTAIR’s flagship aircraft. Adding the world’s most modern and efficient widebody aircraft to the airline’s fleet will be instrumental in expanding its offering, opening new opportunities particularly in Western US and the far East,” says Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial officer and Head of Airbus International. 

It’s the one and only aircraft enabling EGYPTAIR to open up its network with benchmark economic efficiency - not to mention passenger comfort.

The A350 is the world’s most modern and efficient widebody aircraft and the long range leader in the 300-410 seater category, flying efficiently on any sector from short-haul to ultra-long-haul routes up to 9,700nm. Its clean sheet design includes state-of-the-art technologies, aerodynamics, lightweight materials and latest generation engines that together deliver 25% advantage in fuel burn, operating costs and CO₂ emissions, as well as 50% noise reduction compared to previous generation competitor aircraft.
The A350 has won over 1,000 orders from leading carriers from around the globe. 

Airbus Updates No.3938

 

EgyptAir takes first Airbus A321neo

EgyptAir Fleet© Ostend Airport PR

28.02.2023 - 10:58 UTC

EgyptAir Holding has taken delivery of its first A321-200NX, with the ferry flight to Cairo International taking place on February 27.

SU-GFR (msn 11164) is the first of seven A321neo EgyptAir (MS, Cairo International) will take from AerCap, according to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module. The airline's new-generation narrowbody fleet already comprises eight A320-200Ns, all of which are also leased from AerCap.

The first A321neo is scheduled to enter into commercial service on April 1, plying the daily Cairo International-Amsterdam Schiphol route.

EgyptAir will operate its A321neo in two configurations. Dual-class aircraft will seat up to 185 passengers, including 16 in dedicated business class, while the single-class aircraft will be configured for up to 199 passengers.

The airline's fleet also includes twelve A220-300s, three A320-200s, three A330-200s, one A330-200(P2F), four A330-300s, twenty-eight B737-800, one recently redelivered B737-800(SF), six B777-300(ER)s, and six B787-9s.

Airbus Updates No.3419

 Nigeria’s Ibom Air Takes Delivery Of Two Airbus A220s

Ibom Air has taken delivery of two Airbus A220 aircraft this month. These narrowbodies are on lease from EgyptAir and join the Nigerian airline’s five CRJ900 aircraft already in its fleet. The carrier is looking to grow with its state’s economy through the use of these planes.

Both aircraft (including SU-GFA pictured) were built less than two years ago, bringing down the age of Ibom Air’s fleet. Photo: Anna Zvereva via Wikimedia Commons

Young aircraft for a young airline

The two aircraft were formerly operated by Air Sinai on the outfit’s covert Tel Aviv routes. These deliveries mark two years of services for Ibom Air. The Akwa Ibom state government commenced operations with the carrier on June 7th, 2019, following a flight from Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo to Muritala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. Uniquely, this operator was the first state airline to be founded in Nigeria.

Ibom Air took delivery of three CRJ900s ahead of the launch of flights, which, according to ch-aviation, started to arrive from February 2019. Two more units of the regional jet were also delivered last year.

Now, the airline is looking to scale things up with two units of the praised A220. This aircraft has been receiving several accolades across the globe by airlines for its modern approach to short and medium-haul operations. Its high fuel efficiency and comfort are two of the factors that have left airlines such as SWISS, airBaltic, Delta Air Lines, Air Canada, and Korean Air taking on the type.

The Airbus A220 has found several fans over the last few years, especially with airBaltic opting to hold an A220-only fleet. Photo: Getty Images.

A grand occasion

Umaru Fintiri, the governor of Adamawa state, was at the scene to mark the arrival of the new aircraft in Uyo. He shared that these moves are growing the overall aviation industry, and by extension, unlocking the economy of the country.

At the delivery press conference, Fintiri concluded the following:

“This is one airline that has been growing from number to number and from strength to strength.”

According to Radarbox.com, registration SU-GFD, the first A220-300 to arrive, left Cairo on June 5th to land in Lagos on the same day. Follow this, SU-GFA flew into the capital of Nigeria on June 11th. Both aircraft left for Uyo yesterday.

Airbus Updates No.3352

 Air Cairo Takes Delivery Of Its First Airbus A320neo

Low-cost carrier Air Cairo has taken delivery of its Airbus A320neo this week. The airline is an all-A320 operator and flies to destinations in the Middle East and Eastern Europe along with charter operations. The newest aircraft will allow Air Cairo to expand into new markets, including Western Europe, Africa, and more.

Air Cairo currently operates a fleet of six A320-200s and now, one A320neo. Photo: Airbus

Delivery

Monday marked the delivery of Air Cairo’s first A320neo. The plane is leased from ICBC and opens up several new markets for the airline. The aircraft features 186 seats in an all-economy layout, a standard for budget airlines around the world. Notably, all seats come with inflight entertainment systems, signaling that the jet will be deployed on new longer routes as well.

Air Cairo is majority-owned by flag carrier EgyptAir and cooperate on select routes out of Cairo. Photo: Kevin Hackert via Flickr

The A320neo brings a host of efficiency upgrades over its predecessor A320-200s. The aircraft comes with LEAP-1A engines which offer 20% in fuel savings and lower carbon dioxide emissions. However, the most exciting changes for the airline come in the range as well.

Currently, Air Cairo also operates a fleet of six A320ceos which are 9.9-years-old on average, according to Planespotters.net. Four of these jets were delivered in 2006-07, while one came in 2017, and the last one in November 2020.

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New routes

The A320neo can fly 3,500 nautical miles with a full load, opening up new destinations for Air Cairo. While the airline flies to Western Europe through charters, the efficient A320neo could create scheduled route opportunities. An expansion to Western Europe, nearly all of Africa, and South Asia are all now possible.

For now, Air Cairo is focusing on an expansion into West Africa, according to CH-Aviation. New routes to Conakry, Guinea via Niamey, Niger, will begin soon along with fifth-freedom rights on the Niamey-Conakry leg. Lusaka and South Sudan are also on the radar, with moves being made to establish services.

However, as the fleet grows, Air Cairo could venture into South and Central Asia in the coming years as well. There is room for more connectivity to Egypt from these regions currently, making it a prime target as tourism traffic slowly recovers.

Expansion

The A320neo will quickly become a mainstay in Air Cairo’s fleet. By 2024, the carrier will take delivery of 19 new A320neos, tripling the fleet size. This year, however, the airline will only take delivery of one more aircraft. The Egyptian government has cited airlines as being key to help the larger economy recovery in the coming years.

Air Cairo is eying a major route and fleet expansion in the coming years, especially in Africa and Asia.Photo: Aero Icarus via Flickr

Since Air Cairo is majority-owned by EgyptAir (60%) and the two currently codeshare on several routes. For now, Air Cairo is focusing on slowly recovering passenger numbers as vaccines roll out and borders reopen. However, the future certainly looks bright for the airline.

Airbus Updates No.2856

 

Why Airbus Delivered An A220 From France To Egypt Via The UK

An unusual flight over Europe on Tuesday caught the eye of many people. Egyptair was taking delivery of a freshly leased A220. It’s a nice little plane but no big deal in itself. What got people’s attention was the route the delivery flight took. The aircraft took off from Toulouse and headed off to Cairo, via the United Kingdom.

Egyptair took delivery of its12th and final A220-300 in Cairo on Tuesday. Photo: Airbus

A quirk of UK law means leased aircraft must overfly UK airspace

The reason is both simple and complex. The Airbus A220-300 operating yesterday’s flight was SU-GFI. A UK-based aircraft leasing company owns the plane. According to a legal quirk, unless the aircraft flies through UK airspace, the delivery has not taken place. So yesterday, SU-GFI headed up to Dover before turning around and tracking southeast towards Egypt.

Tuesday’s delivery flight means all 12 of the Airbus A220s ordered by Egyptair are now at the airline.

Source: FlightRadar24

Ian Petchenik has covered some of these weird and wonderful quirks of aircraft leasing in FlightRadar24. He says to activate some of the financial aspects of an aircraft lease involving a UK lessor, the plane needs to be physically present in the UK.

Not so long ago, the plane would have landed at a UK airport. Someone duly authorized would sign the paperwork on UK soil. The aircraft could then take off and head off to wherever it was meant to go – everything signed and sealed.

Now, thanks to the joys of WiFi, the paperwork is signed while flying in UK airspace. Technically, that’s still in the UK.

A nifty and common airborne legal hack

It sounds like a nifty little hack to partly get around an oddball legal requirement. What’s surprising is how common these sojourns over UK airspace are. There are several big aircraft leasing businesses based in the UK. Every aircraft that gets sourced from them has to do what the Egyptair flight did yesterday.

It was the second time an Egyptair flight overflow the UK in a week. On September 23, taking delivery of their 11th A220-300, registered as SU-GFG, that aircraft followed the same routing from Toulouse to Cairo.

Ian Petchenik’s FlightRadar24.com story is a couple of years old, and his story followed the delivery of an Air Europa flight from Charleston in the United States to Madrid in Spain. That flight went via Lands End in the far southwest of the UK before turning south and heading to Spain. He was able to illustrate how the flight nipped into UK airspace, overflow a tiny portion of dry land, and satisfied the legal niceties of leasing from a UK leasing business.

Yesterday’s Egyptair flight took five and a half hours. The distance between the two airports is approximately 3,600 kilometers or about four hours without diverting via the UK. SU-GFI is destined to fly around the southern fringes of the Meditteranean and across to the Gulf countries. Egyptair is sending its fleet of A220s to Jeddah, Damman, Kuwait, Riyadh, Madinah, Baghdad, and Abha. In the meantime, SU-GFI is getting a final polish and outfit in Cairo

Airbus Updates No.2509

EgyptAir announces first A320neo routes

EgyptAir Airbus A320-200N © EgyptAir

18.02.2020 - 01:45 UTC

EgyptAir (MS, Cairo Int'l) has announced the delivery of its first A320-200neo. SU-GFJ (msn 9473) was ferried from Toulouse Blagnac to Cairo Int'l on February 15 ahead of a month-end service-entry date.

The ch-aviation schedules module shows the type's debut is now slated for February 22 with flights from Cairo Int'l as follows:

• Abu Dhabi Int'l (February 22);
• Barcelona El Prat (February 22);
• Berlin Schönefeld (February 22);
• Casablanca Int'l (February 22);
• Kuwait (February 22);
• Beirut (February 23);
• Istanbul New (February 23);
• Athens Int'l (February 25);
• Brussels National (February 27);
• Dammam (March 1).

The state-owned carrier will lease eight A320neo from AerCap alongside seven A321-200neo. All eight A320neo are due to deliver in 2020. No timeframe for the A321neo's induction has yet been made public.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, EgyptAir currently operates four A320ceo all of which will be retired during the course of 2020.

Airbus Updates No.2504

EgyptAir receives first Airbus A320neo

By David Kaminski-Morrow16 February 2020

• Save article

EgyptAir has taken delivery of its first Airbus A320neo, the initial aircraft in a batch of 15 being acquired by the Middle Eastern flag-carrier.

Airbus has confirmed the handover of the twinjet, powered by CFM International Leap-1A engines.

It is configured with 142 seats in two classes including 16 seats in the business-class cabin. The aircraft is being leased through AerCap.

EgyptAir’s agreement with the lessor for the re-engined family, unveiled in 2017, includes eight A320neos and seven of the larger A321neo.

The carrier is already an operator of the Airbus A220, with eight of the type in service with its EgyptAir Express division.

It ordered 12 Bombardier CS300s in 2017 before Airbus took over the programme and redesignated the aircraft as the A220-300.

“Alongside the A220, the A320neo will be an integral part of EgyptAir’s fleet-modernisation plan that will replace its existing ageing single-aisle fleet,” says the airframer.

Source: Airbus

Three EgyptAir A320neos – SU-GFK, SU-GFJ and SU-GFL – awaiting delivery