EgyptAir is to launch a three-weekly direct service between Cairo International Airport and Birmingham Airport from November 1, 2026, marking the first non-stop scheduled link between Egypt and the UK’s second city.
Flights MS769 will depart Cairo at 08:40, arriving in Birmingham at 12:30. The return service, MS770, will leave Birmingham at 13:30, landing in Cairo at 20:40. Both operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.
The route fills a gap that has long required passengers travelling between the West Midlands and Egypt to connect via Frankfurt, Zurich, or another European hub. Birmingham Airport has been actively seeking to strengthen direct long-haul connectivity, with data from the UK Civil Aviation Authority showing that around 485,000 US-bound passengers from the West Midlands alone travel via other UK airports each year. The Egypt market presents a comparable opportunity, drawing on both tourism demand and a sizeable Egyptian and Arab diaspora community in the region.
The launch comes as EgyptAir embarks on one of its most aggressive expansion phases. The carrier has been targeting 85 destinations in 2026 , with landmark new services including Cairo–Chicago, launching on June 21, 2026, operated with the airline’s newly introduced Airbus A350-900 fleet.
The route launches and capacity increases scheduled across 2026 represent one of the most significant periods of aviation expansion witnessed by Egypt in recent years.
The Birmingham route also arrives ahead of a broader wave of UK–Egypt connectivity. Jet2 is set to begin year-round direct services from Birmingham to Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh from February 2027. EgyptAir’s Cairo service, operating year-round from November, will give the West Midlands its first direct link to the Egyptian capital ahead of that leisure push.
Egypt received a record 17.5mn international visitors in 2024, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.