Air Cairo has placed a firm order for 15 A320neos, Airbus announced on September 8 at the El Alamein International Airshow in Egypt
The agreement is Air Cairo’s first direct aircraft purchase from Airbus. Its current A320-family fleet was acquired through leasing companies, so the order will also introduce company-owned Airbus jets to the airline.
The Egyptian carrier currently operates 20 A320neos and 12 previous-generation A320ceos, according to fleet data. The airline has been adding neos rapidly, including another aircraft delivered at the end of August.
The 15 directly ordered aircraft therefore fit into an established fleet rather than introducing a new type. They also increase the weight of the A320neo in an operation where the older A320ceo is already becoming a minority.
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Air Cairo has not disclosed a delivery schedule for the 15 aircraft or said whether they will primarily replace leased jets, support expansion or serve both purposes.
Fleet growing rapidly
Air Cairo began operations with an Airbus A320 in October 2003 and is majority-owned by EgyptAir. The carrier has expanded considerably in recent years. It had only seven aircraft five years ago and has since built a fleet centered on the A320 family, supplemented by smaller regional aircraft.
The airline says it intends to operate more than 130 aircraft by 2034, an ambition that would more than triple its current fleet. Adding owned aircraft gives Air Cairo another way of financing that expansion instead of relying exclusively on lessors for its Airbus fleet.
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September 08, 2026
September 08, 2026
There is some discrepancy over the current fleet total. Air Cairo says it has more than 45 aircraft, but its own published fleet information and independent fleet databases indicate a smaller number. Current data show 12 A320ceos, 20 A320neos, six ATR 72-600s and three Embraer E190s.
The smaller aircraft give Air Cairo alternatives for routes where the 180-seat-class A320 would be too large. Its ATR 72-600s have 70 seats, while the E190s accommodate 109 passengers.
Curiously, the three Embraers are a small piece of aviation history. Air Cairo received the aircraft through Egyptian lessor CIAF Leasing in December 2022, and they were the final three new E190s of the original E-Jet generation produced by Embraer.
The aircraft, serial numbers 19000774, 19000775 and 19000776, closed production of the E190-E1 as Embraer concentrated on the newer E190-E2 and E195-E2. Air Cairo continues to operate all three.
The carrier serves destinations across Egypt, Europe, the Middle East and Africa and describes itself as a hybrid airline, combining scheduled services with a substantial leisure operation connecting European markets with Egyptian tourist destinations.
