Starting September 4, 2023, EgyptAir will operate direct flights between Cairo International Airport (CAI), the largest hub of Egypt, and São Paulo Guarulhos International Airport (GRU). When launched, this would be Guarulhos’ third direct route from Africa currently available.
The flights will be charters and 100% operated by Spain’s largest air consolidator, MasterFlights, following an agreement signed on March 16, 2023, in Cairo, with the presence of EgyptAir leaders and Alfonso Martinez, CEO of MasterFlights. The story was first reported by Brazil’s media outlet Mercado & Eventos. The new service will be operated on a weekly basis, every Monday, for the next 12 months.
Photo: Vytautas Kielaitis/Shutterstock.
Passengers will travel onboard the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner of EgyptAir, with 309 seats, 279 in economy class, and 30 in business class. The flights have been approved by Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC). The charter flights will also include domestic connections within Egypt and to Tel Aviv, Amman, Dubai, and Istanbul. The service will be officially presented at the World Travel Market Latin America (WTM-LA), which will take place from April 3 to 5, 2023, in São Paulo.
Joao Pita, Commercial Director at Guarulhos International, said in a statement posted on LinkedIn,
“We do have big news at GRU Airport – Aeroporto Internacional de São Paulo! Egyptair and MasterFlights will start a weekly charter to São Paulo in September with good odds to expand the number of weekly operations. The route between Cairo and São Paulo has been on our wish list for a long time. This is how to stimulate and promote new destinations: good airlines, products, excellent marketing and sales team, and hard work. Cargo is a plus on such a long route.”
MasterFlights CEO Alfonso Martinez said that operators and travel agencies in the Brazilian market will have the opportunity to be part of this long-awaited project of EgyptAir. If successful, there are plans to add more frequencies. A second weekly flight could start in May 2024, with connections to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and a third weekly flight starting in September 2024, with flights to Guarulhos only.
EgyptAir has been negotiating with Brazilian authorities for almost a year. At ITB 2023, the company showed interest in the Brazilian market in talks with representatives of the São Paulo Tourism Secretariat and Visite São Paulo. The airline also revealed that it intended to operate charter flights because regular operations are subject to double taxation when entering and leaving Brazil since the countries do not have commercial agreements.
Photo: CSWFoto/Shutterstock.
The new direct flights between Brazil and Egypt are expected to improve connectivity and economic and commercial relations between the two countries and also offer more travel options for tourists from both regions.
EgyptAir currently has a fleet of 74 aircraft, according to data from ch-aviation. It operates six Boeing 787 Dreamliner 9s, six B777-300(ER)s, four Airbus A330-200s, and four A330-300s for long-haul segments. The airline also has 12 Airbus A220-300s, three A320ceos, eight A320neos, one A321neo, 28 Boeing 737-800s, plus a few cargo airliners.
What do you think about this new route? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: Mercado & Eventos.
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