UAE and Egypt Sign Five-Year Deal to Expand Bilateral Air Services
The UAE and Egypt have signed a phased aviation agreement to gradually expand bilateral air traffic rights through to 2031, with the deal concluded on the sidelines of the 11th ICAO AFI Week in Cairo. The framework is designed to accommodate rising passenger demand, create new opportunities for airlines, and strengthen tourism, trade, and investment between the two countries. Carriers including Emirates, Etihad Airways, Flydubai, Air Arabia, EgyptAir, and Nile Air currently operate multiple daily services between the two countries, connecting hubs such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Cairo.
The agreement comes as Egypt accelerates investment in its aviation and tourism infrastructure. From August 2026, Cairo International Airport will introduce a digital visa-on-arrival system across all terminals, replacing physical visa stickers with QR codes to streamline entry procedures. The move follows a record year for Egypt's tourism industry in 2025, which generated more than US$18 billion in revenues according to World Travel and Tourism Council data, underlining the strategic importance of expanding air connectivity between two of the region's most active aviation markets.
Source: Connecting Travel
