EgyptAir eyes Australia with planned Cairo-Singapore-Sydney route

EgyptAir has announced plans to launch a one-stop service to Sydney as the North African carrier looks to expand its footprint into new long-haul markets.

The Cairo-headquartered airline will connect the Australian city with the Egyptian capital via Singapore from 2027, subject to regulatory approvals.

The proposed service will establish a new air link between Australia and Egypt, with Sydney Airport describing Egypt as its largest unserved African market. The flight will be the first direct link to North Africa for both Singapore and Australia.

EgyptAir seeks to benefit from Australia-Europe demand

The route, which may be served with the carrier’s new Airbus A350s, will also provide EgyptAir with an opportunity to tap into demand between Australia and Egypt, which may provide limited demand, but will be bolstered by onward traffic between Australia, Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Cairo is relatively well-situated to benefit from Australia-Europe traffic flows, with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East pushing some carriers to fly through Egyptian airspace between the two markets. 

EgyptAir chairman and CEO Captain Ahmed Adel said the partnership with Sydney Airport would support the airline’s international expansion.

“Partnering with Sydney Airport is an important step in growing EgyptAir’s international network and strengthening links between Egypt, Singapore and Australia,” he said.

“The new service will make travel between our regions easier and support growing demand for tourism, business, education and visiting friends and relatives.”

Connecting Sydney with its largest unserved African market

New South Wales has Australia’s largest Egyptian community, with more than 21,000 people, according to Sydney Airport.

Sydney Airport CEO Scott Charlton said Egypt was the largest African market without a direct service for Australian travellers.

“Egypt is the largest unserved African market for Australian travellers, and a Sydney service by EgyptAir is a big step forward in improving connectivity between Australia and Egypt,” he said.

The addition of EgyptAir will take the number of international airlines serving Sydney Airport to 54, according to the airport.

The new service was announced at the El Alamein Air Show in Egypt. Further details, including the timetable, aircraft type and ticket sales, are expected to be released closer to the planned 2027 launch.

The proposed route remains subject to regulatory approval.

The African carriers with their sights set on Australia

EgyptAir is not the only African airline to set its sights on Australia.

South African Airways launched its flights to Australia as far back as 1957, when it offered services on the route linking Johannesburg and Perth via Mauritius and Cocos Island. The carrier currently operates flights only to Perth, on Australia’s west coast.

More recently, Ethiopian Airlines has been considering its first-ever flights between Addis Ababa and Australia. 

Speaking earlier this year, group chief executive officer Mesfin Tasew said the airline needed additional widebodies to make the extra-long route viable. 

Securing these, he said, would allow the airline to commence services, however the launch date would likely be 2028 at the earliest. Tasew told reporters: “We need to secure at least two large aircraft to operate to the continent.”

In comments reported by the African Press Agency, he added: “It will take at least two years to receive aircraft from manufacturers.

“We will most likely start flying to Australia in 2028, either by renting or purchasing, as a larger batch of aircraft will arrive after that year.”