Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) celebrated EgyptAir’s inaugural flight Tuesday, connecting the National Capital Region and Cairo International Airport (CAI).

“With the addition of EgyptAir to our growing roster of 35 international carriers at Dulles International Airport, we now offer more than 70 daily flights to nearly five dozen nonstop international destinations across the globe,” said Jack Potter, president and chief executive officer for Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. “This new service offers passengers from the National Capital Region and beyond seamless new access to Cairo’s many leisure, business and cultural destinations.”

There was a festive atmosphere at the gate, as passengers on the inaugural flight mingled amid an elaborate setting of model pyramids and actors dressed in ancient Egyptian attire. Passengers also snapped selfies with iconic Egyptian landmarks at a pop-up photo booth. Officials from EgyptAir, as well as the Egyptian Ambassador to the United States, Yasser Reda, were on hand to welcome customers and recognize the benefits of the new route’s year-round service connecting the two capital cities – and connecting the U.S. Capital Region to the City of a Thousand Minarets.

”We are extremely delighted to launch non-stop service between Washington, D.C., and Cairo,” said Capt. Ahmed Adel, EgyptAir Holding’s chairman, and chief executive officer. “We are equally excited about deploying our newest state-of-the-art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on this important route. This is a long-sought-after flight and is welcomed by our passengers all over the world who wish to visit the U.S. capital via a non-stop flight.”

Dulles International becomes EgyptAir’s second passenger service gateway in the United States. Service details include:

The nonstop route will operate three times weekly aboard Boeing’s 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, which EgyptAir took initial delivery of in late March. The aircraft features a two-class, 309-passenger layout, including 30 Super Diamond® fully flat business-class seats and 279 seats in economy. Passengers in both classes enjoy a wide range of complimentary world-class inflight entertainment, including movies and shows from around the world and TV and audio programming for passengers of all ages. EgyptAir is member of Star Alliance, which enables flexible booking opportunities for passengers by combining the networks of 27 airlines in a codeshare environment.

“The addition of EgyptAir’s new service at Washington Dulles greatly enhances our worldwide connectivity and adds an important link between Washington, D.C., and the Middle East,” said Jerome L. Davis, executive vice president and chief revenue officer for Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. “We welcome their continued growth in the United States and look forward to serving both business and leisure travelers with this new option for nonstop service to one of the world’s centers of history and culture.”

Tuesday’s launch is the latest new air service route from Dulles International in 2019, which saw passenger activity increase by more than 5 percent last year. Cairo also becomes the 36th global capital city served from Washington Dulles, the leading international airport in the National Capital Region, with more than 8 million passengers from other countries in 2018.