Egyptair has spoken to Simple Flying about its plans as the first Airbus A350-900s are expected to arrive in the coming weeks. Two of these aircraft now appear on Airbus’ A350 production list, and Egyptair is expecting to operate up to eight of them by late 2026. The aircraft will enable Egyptair to expand its existing network, especially into the United States, as well as replace its current fleet of Boeing 777-300ERs.

The A350-900 is an ultra-long-range widebody airliner and is the second-largest Airbus offering after its stretched A350-1000 counterpart. Mid-sized long-haul widebody aircraft are well-suited to Egyptair’s model. Here is what to know about the status of the carrier’s A350-900s and what the airline is hoping to do with them.

Egyptair To Expand To US With A350-900s

Egyptair Chairman & CEO Captain Ahmed Adel spoke to Simple Flying at the World Travel Market and talked about the airline’s ambitions to expand its fleet and network. He said Egyptair is « very excited about receiving the new fleet » and « are looking into expanding to a lot of markets, especially to the US. » He elaborated that the US is a very important market for Egyptair and that the routes being considered include LAX and Chicago.

Opening the routes to LAX and Chicago would take place after it receives a « viable number » of Airbus A350-900s. He explained the A350-900 is « a technological marvel » that has been proven, while its record with other airlines shows its high reliability. The aircraft’s reliability informed Egyptair’s decision to purchase the aircraft. He also spoke about the aircraft being the latest technology and having lower emissions.

Ahmed Adel said that in addition to the aircraft being cutting-edge and reliable, its economics were a major factor in choosing it. He said, « Better economics will give you a greater scope of routes and destinations that maybe you couldn’t operate before, and now it’s more viable to operate.” It is unclear exactly what he meant by economics, but it is likely a reference to the airliner’s lower fuel burn per seat, lower maintenance costs, and ultra-long-haul range.

Egyptair’s Current A350-900 Order Book

In June 2025, Airbus announced that Egyptair was ordering six more A350-900s. These aircraft built on its initial order for 10 A330-900s in 2023 and brought its order book to 16 examples. At the time, Egyptair stated the order reflected the company’s « …commitment to integrating the next-generation aircraft into its fleet. » It said the aircraft would help them meet the rising demand for long-haul travel and support its network expansion plans over the next five years.

The A350 is the longest-range airliner on the market, with Airbus saying in the news release that it « is designed to fly up to 9,700 nautical miles non-stop. » That statement is a little misleading, as the base A350-900 model that Egyptair is likely purchasing has a range of up to 8,500 nautical miles. The Airbus A350-900ULR is exclusively in service with Singapore Airlines, and only seven aircraft have been produced, although it will be rivaled by the A350-1000ULR currently in production for Qantas.

The A350 comfortably seats nine passengers across, although it is able to squeeze in ten abreast. A new production standard provides four inches more room, which will make the ten-abreast seating more attractive for some airlines. The A350 is designed to use 25% less fuel compared with comparable previous-generation airliners.

Egyptair’s Current Fleet

According to Planespotters.net, Egyptair currently has a fleet of 67 aircraft, of which 58 are currently active. Its narrowbody fleet is made up of 15 Airbus A320 family aircraft and 30 Boeing 737s. The remaining 27 aircraft are all widebody aircraft that include nine A330s, five Boeing 777Xs, and eight 787 Dreamliners. A couple of its A330-200s are expected to be converted into freighters.

The Boeing 737s in service are all previous-generation 737-800s, and these are soon to be complemented by an order of 18 MAX 8s. The first of these MAX aircraft is expected to arrive in 2025. In August 2025, Aeronews posted on Facebook an image of the first Egyptair Airbus A350-900 (MSN 767, registered SU-GGE) in Toulouse in France. The first A350-900s are expected to arrive in a few weeks.

Planespotters.net’s A350 production list currently shows two A350-900s for Egyptair, the second being MSN 776. Egyptair has previously stated it has extended the lease for its five 777-300ERs by 18 months with AirCap due to late arrivals. These are expected to exit its fleet starting in November 2026, by which time it should have a total of seven or eight A350s in its fleet. The -300ERs are currently an average of 15 years old, making them midlife.

Egyptair’s Current North American Network

Egyptair’s hub is the Egyptian capital city of Cairo, while the major city of Alexandria and the leisure destination, Sharm El Sheikh, are also focus cities. It operates flights to around 80 destinations in Africa, Europe, Asia, as well as North America, but not South America. Destinations in North America include Toronto in Canada and New York-Newark Liberty, New York-JFK, and Washington-Dulles in the United States.

In addition to opening up new routes to the United States in 2026, Egyptair wants to increase its flight frequencies on its existing routes to North America. Currently, Egyptair is the only airline serving the Cairo to Toronto route with around five flights a week, normally with Boeing 787-9s. It is also the only carrier flying between the US and the Egyptian capital with flights three times a week by its Boeing 787-9s.

The Newark Liberty route is served just two times a week using the Dreamliner, while the thicker JFK route is served six times a week with the larger Boeing 777-300ER. Again, it is the only carrier on these routes. Delta did operate flights to Cairo and Sharm El Sheikh; However, these flights are terminated. United Airlines and Egyptair have codeshare agreements, being members of the Star Alliance. United and American do not fly to Egypt.

The Airbus A350-900: A Worthy Competitor To The 787-9

The Airbus A350-900 is one of the most popular widebody aircraft on the market. With a total of 1,019 orders, only the Boeing 787-9 is more popular among in-production widebody aircraft. The 787-9 is the primary competitor to the A350-900. When Egyptair receives its first A350-900s, it will operate both of the world’s most popular mid-sized widebody aircraft. The 777-200LR was a competitor, but it is out of production and being replaced by the 777X.

As is now common for modern airliners, the A350 is exclusively powered by one engine type, the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB. Specifically, the -900 is powered by the Trent XWB-84 variant that Rolls-Royce claims is « the best widebody engine in the world. » The latest version of that engine is the XWB-84 EP, which delivers another 1% fuel burn saving, worth some $5 million a year for the average fleet. The engine is specifically designed for the A350.

The previous generation Boeing 767 with its General Electric CF6 engines has a reputation for being an exceptionally reliable aircraft. However, modern aircraft like the A350 (and the 787) meet or even exceed that aircraft’s dispatch rate. Rolls-Royce says it is « investing £1 billion across our modern Trent engines to increase their durability by an average of 80%, with a significant portion being delivered in 2025. »

The Mid-Sized A350-900 Fits Egyptair’s Thinner Ultra-Long Haul Routes

Egyptair is poised to become the next Middle Eastern operator of the Airbus A350-900. Other airlines in the greater region, like Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Emirates, are already operators of the A350-900. While Singapore Airlines is currently the largest operator of the A350, that accolade will be taken by Turkish, which has ordered a total of 110 of them, almost ten times as many as Egyptair. Turkish’s order book stands at 90 A350-900s, 15 A350-1000s, and five freighters based on the -1000.

Egyptair is a comparatively small long-haul player in the greater region, which is dominated by Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, and Emirates, and to a lesser extent Saudia and Etihad. Still, with no US or Canadian airlines flying to Egypt, it is the only airline connecting Cairo to North America. The arrival of the A350s will allow it to modernize and expand its connections to the United States, which should make it easier for more Americans to come and see the pyramids and other ancient attractions of Egypt.

Unlike other airlines (e.g., Turkish Airlines, Qatar, Emirates, Etihad) in the greater neighborhood, Egyptair has not placed an order for the upcoming Boeing 777X. The Boeing 777X will be the largest airliner on the market when it enters service (now expected in 2027). Like the Boeing 787, the A350-900 gives Egyptair a mid-sized widebody airliner, allowing it to operate on thinner, but ultra-long-haul routes. Separately, US-based carriers are also shunning extra-large widebodies, with none purchasing the A380, the 747-8, or ordering the 777X. Only American and United purchased the 777-300ER in limited numbers.