As is often the case, things aren't entirely as they seem. EgyptAir revealed the route two years ago in early 2020, just before things changed massively and many routes were postponed. Early 2021 was then given as the start date, but it didn't happen. Now it's back, and it will take off.

Cairo to Dublin

The new route will begin on June 3rd. It'll have a hefty four flights a week, operating in both directions on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. It is scheduled as follows, with all times local, and has a six-hour block time to Ireland.

• Cairo to Dublin: MS775, 08:20-13:20
• Dublin to Cairo: MS776, 14:20-20:45

At 2,477 miles (3,986km), Dublin will be EgyptAir's longest route to Europe from its Cairo hub this summer. However, it won't be its longest overall to the continent. That goes to the carrier's Luxor to London Heathrow service, operating on Mondays until May 30th, just as the extreme summer heat takes over.

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But why Dublin?

Not surprisingly, booking data shows that the local Cairo-Dublin market is relatively small, totaling about 16,000 round-trip passengers in 2019. Traffic was up by about 40% versus 2019, with an average one-way base fare of approximately $278. For context, that's almost the same fare as Lagos to Dubai, despite that route being 48% longer.

Even with demand rising from non-stop service, including for tourism to the world-renowned pyramids of Giza, this traffic volume is, of course, insufficient to warrant a reasonably long service with four flights a week.

So what, then?

As such, it'll primarily target those connecting beyond Cairo, including the Egyptian tourist hotspots of Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada, Luxor, and Aswan. Dublin used to be connected non-stop to Sharm El Sheikh with Thomson/TUI, with limited flights between May 2009 and January 2016. Traveling to/from the four destinations will involve a short 90-minute wait in Cairo.

Dublin-Cairo will also be suitable for multiple destinations across the Middle East, Northeast Africa, and Southern Africa, markets often targeted by Turkish Airlines.

Assuming no more than a four-hour wait in Cairo, analyzing connectivity indicates over 15 non-Egypt destinations are available on a two-way basis, including Addis Ababa, Beirut, Baghdad, Dubai, Johannesburg, and Riyadh.

Booking data suggests they had 270,000+ round-trip Dublin passengers in 2019, heavily influenced, as you'd expect, by Dubai. If Emirates' non-stop passengers are removed, the 15+ had a market of around 140,000, with Johannesburg the biggest.

40 weekly flights

EgyptAir joins Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, and Turkish Airlines in serving Dublin. In the week Cairo takes off, the five airlines will have 40 departures (nearly six daily) to their respective hubs:

1. Turkish Airlines: Istanbul; 2x daily; A321ceo/neo
2. Qatar Airways: Doha; 10x weekly; B787-8
3. Emirates: Dubai; 1x daily; B777-300ER
4. Etihad: Abu Dhabi; 5x weekly; B787-9
5. EgyptAir: Cairo; 4x weekly; A320neo

According to OAG data, that's the same volume of flights in the same week in 2019. While Emirates and Etihad have cut nine weekly departures between them, it's offset by Qatar Airways rising from daily to 10x weekly, Turkish from 12x weekly to 2x daily, and the entry of EgyptAir.

Will you fly to Cairo and beyond? Let us know in the comments.