20 July 07
BMI to offer UK’s only morning departure to Cairo
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BMI will offer the UK’s only morning
departure to Cairo when it begins flights on October 28.
The airline has long lobbied for rights
to fly to the Egyptian capital and has struck a codeshare deal with
Egypt Air to operate the route. Bmi’s daily service will depart
Heathrow at 09.05, arriving at 15.50. It will leave Cairo at 16.40,
returning to Heathrow at 19.50.
Bmi’s arrival on the route may force
British Airways to reschedule its service, which arrives in Cairo after
midnight and incurs the cost of putting crews in hotels for two nights.
Fares are also likely to fall. Return prices on Bmi’s Airbus A320
service will start from £878 in business class and £299 in economy.
Bmi will become a major player in the
Middle East from October, when it brings Bmed, the former British
Airways franchise, fully into its network. However, in order to get
permission to fly to Cairo, Bmi has had to sacrifice Bmed’s Alexandria
service, which will cease at the end of the summer.
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