EgyptAir Deploys 787 To London Heathrow To Offset British Airways Cut

EgyptAir has responded to British Airways’ sudden suspension of service to Cairo with increased capacity via its brand new 787-9 Dreamliner.

British Airways offered no specific reason for its suspension of service to Cairo for a week, blaming the sudden halt in service on “security concern”. While Lufthansa also suspended service to Cairo for one day, it has since resumed service.

Sensing an opportunity, EgyptAir announced “additional flights” would accommodate passengers stranded by British Airways. Egypt’s Civil Aviation Minister told FlightGlobal that the extra capacity will be provided by a 787.

EgyptAir currently has four Dreamliners in its fleet, but plans to take delivery of its fifth and sixth models this month.

Planned destinations include:

• Dubai
• Frankfurt
• Kuwait
• Paris
• Washington

If British Airways resumes Cairo service next week, we may see the Dreamliner on the route this week only. But if BA holds out longer, we could see the 787 on the LHR route for the foreseeable future.

Thus far, the Dreamliner is not reflected in the schedule, thought I would expect MS 778/777 will remain operated by a 777-300ER while MS 779/780 will be upguaged from a 737-800 to the 787-9.

CONCLUSION

As much as I do enjoy British Airways in Club World (it’s not nearly as bad as some people say), I had a wonderful trip on EgyptAir from London to Cairo on the 777-300ER. The new 787-9 has even better seats in business class and represents a great way to travel between Cairo and London. Take advantage of the equipment upgrade why you can.

> Review: EgyptAir 777-300ER Business Class London To Cairo

image: EgyptAir