Wizz Air and easyJet go head-to-head offering holidaymakers new flights from London Luton Airport to Egypt

From October two of Europe’s biggest budget airlines will be offering a route from Luton airport to the pyramids in Egypt.

Wizz Air and easyJet have both announced they will be flying from Luton Airport to Cairo’s second airport, Sphinx International Airport. At the moment the only links from London are from Heathrow to Cairo’s main airport through British Airways and EgyptAir. EgyptAir also flies from Manchester to Cairo’s main airport.

Wizz Air will start offering flights from 30 October and easyJet a day later. Both carriers will operate three times a week, Wizz Air on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and easyJet on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

The flight time will be around five hours with a distance of 2,190 miles. Sphinx International Airport is not Egypt’s main airport, which is Cairo International, but it has a fast highway link to the tourist sites.

It is located in Giza, which is the location for the extremely delayed Grand Egyptian Museum - expected to open in the next few months. It is 20 miles northwest of the great sphinx of Giza and the main pyramid complex.

It has a single, modern terminal and the arrival and departure experience is likely to be more relaxed than the multi-terminal main airport. Sphinx International Airport is also more convenient for the Mediterranean city of Alexandria than is Cairo’s main airport.

According to the aviation data analyst Cirium, in September Cairo International Airport will see 263 arrivals a day while Sphinx will see just four or five a day. The new easyJet and Wizz Air services will add to a fast-expanding schedule between the UK and Egypt.

For easyJet the new destination will become its third route to Egypt alongside Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada.

Tickets are now on sale through easyJet’s website or mobile app and flights will run on the following schedule:

• LTN - SPX (Tue, Thu) - Departs Luton at 11:55, arrives in Cairo at 18:45
• LTN - SPX (Sat) - Departs Luton at 12:20, arrives in Cairo at 19:10
• SPX - LTN (Tue, Thu, and Sat) - Departs Cairo at 19:30, arrives in Luton at 22:50

Jonathan Rayner, Chief Commercial Officer at London Luton Airport, said the airport is “delighted that easyJet has chosen London Luton Airport (LLA) to launch its flights to Cairo.”

He added: “As the Egyptian capital, Cairo is home to some truly iconic landmarks and is sure to be a destination of choice for passengers traveling from LLA."