TravTalk India Online Magazine
Egyptair, the national carrier of Egypt, has launched four weekly direct flights connecting Delhi to Cairo. Mohamed Moussa, Chairman & CEO, EgyptAir, claims that these flights will facilitate connectivity between Egypt and India, and many other countries in Africa, America, and even Europe.
Sara Haque
Egyptair, the national carrier of Egypt, has launched four weekly direct flights connecting Delhi to Cairo. To celebrate the occasion, the airline recently hosted a launch party for the travel industry.The direct connectivity that these flights offer promise a flourishing relationship of tourism, trade, culture, and politics, for the two countries.
Speaking at the event, Capt. Mohamed Moussa, Chairman & CEO, EgyptAir, said, “These flights will facilitate connectivity between Egypt and India, and many other countries in Africa, America, and even Europe. I think it’s a promising force for the economy.” The CEO also mentioned the ongoing collaborations with the governments of both, India and Egypt, to facilitate the tourism industry.
Amr Ali, Manager for North and Eastern India, EgyptAir, mentioned how the direct connectivity between Cairo and Delhi will be “achieving success and mutual benefits for customers from both India and Egypt. Aviation can link the nations, enhance the tourist movement between the two countries, and lessen the distance between them. I’m very optimistic that it’s going to have a very positive impact on the social, political and cultural relations between Egypt and India,” he said.
The Cairo-Delhi route will have four weekly flights with A320neo, which is EgyptAir’s newly acquired narrowbody aircraft with state of the art facilities, two cabin service with 16 seats in Business Class, and 126 seats in Economy Class. The flight MS973 departs from Cairo on Fridays and Sundays at 11:40 (EEST) and lands at New Delhi at 20:45 (IST), while flight MS975 departs from Cairo on Thursdays and Saturdays at 23:50 (EEST) and reaches New Delhi at 08:55 (IST).
Also present at the event was Prabuddha Sen, Chief Operating Officer, VFS Global, South Asia Market. VFS Global has collaborated with the Embassy of Egypt, based in New Delhi, to assist in the visa application process for outbound Indian tourists to Egypt, and also to promote tourism between the two countries. Sen mentioned that the visa application process for Egypt is “very easy” and can be done completely online. “The only requirements are certain documents that the tourists must have in hand, and the visa is granted within a very short period of time,” he said.
Sen also advised to plan for the journey well in advance, preferably six months prior to the travel date.
Wael Mohamed Awad Hamed, Ambassador of Egypt and the Chief Guest at the launch, said, “The relationship between Egypt and India goes back at least 3,500 years. Today is the first time ever that the two capitals are
directly connected.”
