Maersk hikes Egypt import charge

Regional uncertainty is still casting a shadow on shipping lanes, prompting shipping giant Maersk to raise its Egypt Customs Additional Item Charge-Import to EGP 1,415 per bill of lading from EGP 1k, plus 14% VAT, effective 15 June, the company said on its website.

On a more optimistic note, the company launched a new Baltic Sea-SLA service linking Gdansk, Bremerhaven, and Genoa / Vado Ligure with Port Said East and Alexandria, giving shippers a more direct route between North Europe, Italy, Egypt, and the East Med. The new link gives Egypt another clean leg in the broader Europe-Egypt-GCC routing corridor we’ve been tracking.

The new service lands as shipping lines are selectively rebuilding Egypt-facing routes while still watching regional risk. Maersk said that shipping conditions in the Strait of Hormuz have yet to materially improve and that it is operating with heightened caution in its latest Europe market update. We reported earlier this year that Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd were moving some services back through Suez, while a fuller recovery still depends on sustained stability.

British Airways bulks up its Cairo-London route

British Airways is ramping up its capacity on the Cairo-London Heathrow route for the upcoming winter season. Starting 25 October 2026 and running through 27 March 2027, the UK flag carrier will expand its flight schedule from 14 to up to 21 weekly flights, including a third daily service on certain days, according to a press release(pdf). Operating exclusively on its A321 fleet, the expanded schedule will add roughly 64k seats into the market, bolstering critical transit links between Cairo and key destinations across Europe and North America.

Why this matters: This airline’s expansion is part of the state’s broader push to capture a larger slice of the global tourism and transit market, following closely on the heels of a recent three-month airline incentive package. The package rolled out last month for Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh airports to support flight operations amid ongoing regional volatility.

REFRESHER- The airline’s capacity boost comes as the local aviation sector experiences a flurry of private sector activity. Just last month, tourism giant Travco Group announced it is targeting a 4Q 2026 launch of a new USD 150 mn private airline, geared entirely toward funneling European charter traffic directly into Egypt's primary tourism hubs.