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EgyptAir Boeing 737-8
RIO DE JANEIRO—EgyptAir in in the market for an additional 28 narrowbody and widebodies for delivery by 2030 as it targets a fleet size of 125 aircraft by the end of the decade, up from last year’s goal of 97, Captain Ahmed Adel, Chairman and CEO of EgyptAir Holding Company, told Aviation Week in an interview on the sidelines of the IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro.
A combination of strong financial performance, improved aircraft availability, the prospect of an expanded Cairo International Airport within five years and the strength of Egypt’s tourism and travel market is driving the acceleration of the carrier’s growth.
“On the strategic side, we are very bullish in Egypt,” said Adel. “On the highest level, politically, we have the support for the aviation industry in Egypt.”
Looking at EgyptAir’s financial performance, Adel is confident that despite the on-going conflict in the region, the carrier will be able to continue a record of recent profitability into a third year. Its fiscal year runs to the end of June.
“It looks promising,” he noted. The carrier has grown organically over the past year with delayed aircraft deliveries keeping capacity lower than planned but helping keep loads factors and yields high.
When Adel was re-appointed as the head of EgyptAir in February 2025 he took time to evaluate the carrier’s growth plan, stating that a fleet size of 97 aircraft by 2030 was achievable with the priority to induct new aircraft seamlessly and sustain profitability.
EgyptAir has the financing in place to induct the deliveries of new Boeing 737-8s from a variety of lessors and its fleet of 16 Airbus A350-900s and is looking at its options for the additional 28 aircraft it is planning to acquire.
“We are optimistic that we have the finances because the numbers are good,” said Adel. “[Today], we also see [aircraft] availability in the markets.” There are delivery slots for narrowbodies opening between now and 2030, which was not the case a year ago, while there are also slot possibilities for widebodies in the same timeline, he added.
Adel is meeting lessors at the IATA meeting to discuss additional deliveries. “We are testing the waters now and are having offers on the table,” he said.
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