Travel agents have expressed delight at the news Jet2 is to return to Egypt, with flights to the Red Sea resuming in 2027.
Travel Gossip reported on Wednesday that Egypt’s Tourism Minister had revealed that Jet2 was planning flights from several UK airports to Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh from February 2027. It’s understood Jet2 CEO Steve Heapy met with Egyptian delegates at World Travel Market London to discuss the deal.
In a statement issued on Thursday afternoon, Jet2 said: “As the UK’s favourite tour operator, we continually review our holiday programme to ensure that it meets the needs of customers and independent travel agents.
“We are in the process of finalising a very exciting programme to Egypt and we will communicate the details, including a fantastic launch offer for agency partners, next week. We advise everyone to watch this space!”
Agents posting on Travel Gossip’s Facebook group described the move as ‘great news’.
Lisa Marie Taylor, who runs JrT Travel, part of Merlin Travel Group, went to live in Hurgada in August and runs her agency from there. She also runs a Facebook group for British tourists, who can book excursions with her.
She said the Red Sea is a good alternative to Turkey and the Canary Islands. “The people out here cannot do enough for the tourists,” Lisa said. “Service standards are high and clients can feel confident in knowing they will be looked after.
“It is everything families on a budget want and it’s year-round sunshine, making it competitive with the Canary Islands and a cheaper alternative to Turkey. Good flight times would be an absolute winner. I’m very excited.”
Andy Tomlinson, Managing Director of Sutton Travel in Sutton Coldfield, said: “The Red Sea resorts can be a bit of a harder sell sometimes for us agents, but most of our clients positively rant about Jet2 Holidays and how much they love them, so this should help make it easier for us to sell them to Hurghada and Sharm regions.”
According to the Egyptian Cabinet Presidency, there will be seven weekly flights to each destination. It said Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada will be served by two flights a week each from Birmingham, Manchester and London Stansted. There will also be a weekly flight to Sharm from Edinburgh and a weekly flight to Hurghada from Glasgow.
