Egyptair will utilize their brand new Boeing 787-9 aircraft for this route instead of their higher capacity Boeing 777-300ER. The 787-9 has a total capacity of 309 seats, including 279 economy and 30 lie-flat reverse herring-bone business class seats.
The new route will operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, with the following schedule:
| Flight Number | Departing | Arriving | Flight Time |
| MS 987 | Cairo | New York/Newark | 11:20 |
| MS 988 | New York/Newark | Cairo | 11:55 |
Egyptair’s decision to use the lower capacity long-haul 787-9 aircraft on this route is based on the modernity of the cabin. The 787-9 aircraft are only two years old and offer more desirable features, such as Wi-Fi, a lower cabin altitude, and higher cabin air humidity compared to the 777-300ER. These factors are particularly important considering the nearly 12 hours of flight time to Cairo.
Many may wonder why Egyptair, which already flies to New York’s JFK airport, has chosen Newark as its fourth North American route. The reason behind this decision is mainly due to connectivity issues the airline faces when flying to JFK.
As a member of Star Alliance, JFK airport is either a hub or focus city for most Oneworld and SkyTeam carriers such as American and Delta Air Lines, while Star Alliance member airlines mostly fly to Newark.
Airlines tend to stick to cities where their partner or alliance-member airlines operate so that they can sell connecting tickets on partner or alliance carriers, thereby increasing the number of passengers on their flights.
