Cairo to Siwa
Private Jet Charter
Cairo to Siwa is about an hour in the air, 311 nautical miles from Sphinx to the oasis airfield, against eight hours by road across the Western Desert. There is no airline service and no civilian airport; the field is run by the military, so the permission is the trip. Turboprops, light jets and group charters fly it.
Reviewed by Kevin Singh, Founder · Fact-checked against Icarus Jet fleet and airport operations data · Last updated 4 September 2026
Route overview
Get your number
Get a number for your dates
Tell us the dates, the passengers and where you are staying in the oasis. The desk arranges the Siwa permission alongside the Egypt permit and tells you which aircraft fits the group before you book.
Prefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203. The desk is staffed 24/7.
The route
Why fly private from Cairo to Siwa?
Cairo to Siwa is the trip that private aviation exists for in Egypt: 311 nautical miles, about an hour in the air, to an oasis with no airline connection and an eight-hour drive as the only alternative. The Temple of the Oracle, Cleopatra's Pool, the salt lakes and the Great Sand Sea are the reason people go, and the airfield is the reason most of them never do.
Why private works here
Leave Sphinx, 35 minutes from downtown Cairo, and land at the oasis before the road party has cleared the first checkpoint. The vehicles meet the aircraft, the lodge is minutes away, and the return leaves when the weekend ends rather than at dawn to make the drive. For a family or a small group it turns a three-night trip into three nights in Siwa rather than one night and two days in a car.
Aircraft fit
At this distance a turboprop such as a King Air 350 is the usual answer: eight passengers, an hour in the air, and comfortable with the field. A light jet does it in fifty minutes for six or seven. For larger parties the desk arranges a group charter on a Dash 8 for up to 43 passengers, which is how weddings, retreats and corporate groups reach Siwa, and often the better number per seat.
Advisor note
Siwa is a permission before it is a flight. The only airfield is operated by the military, and clearance for a round trip is planned at up to two weeks, on top of the four business days for the Egyptian permit. We file both the day you confirm, and we do not promise a date we cannot land on.
Icarus Jet charter deskCost
What determines the cost of a Cairo to Siwa private charter?
An hour-long sector to a remote field is priced on the aircraft, the group size, the permissions and the ground time. These are the things that move the number on Cairo to Siwa.
Aircraft
A turboprop is the right money for up to eight. A light jet is faster for six or seven. For a group, a Dash 8 charter spreads the cost across up to 43 seats and is usually the best number per person.
Round trip or two one-ways
A weekend usually keeps the aircraft with you or brings it back for you on the day you choose. For a longer stay the desk prices two one-way flights and tells you which is cleaner.
The Egypt permit
Egypt requires a landing permit from the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority for private and charter flights, domestic legs included. We plan on four business days and file it with the registration, insurance, AOC and crew details, and a specific stated purpose of flight. It is routine, and it is the one thing that cannot be fixed the day before.
The Siwa permission
The airfield is military-run and the permission for each movement is arranged separately. It is planned at up to two weeks for a round trip and is the one lead time on this route that cannot be shortened.
The season
October to April is the season, with the winter holiday weeks the busiest. Summer in the Western Desert is severe and the desk plans early departures if you fly it.
What the number covers
We tell you what the quote covers before you book and we hold the operator to the number we gave you. No surprises on the invoice is the point of using the desk.
Aircraft
Which aircraft flies Cairo to Siwa?
Three answers cover almost every Siwa trip.
King Air 350 class
Eight passengers, an hour in the air, the aircraft most often flown to the oasis and comfortable with the field.
Citation CJ and Phenom 300 class
Six or seven passengers with carry-on baggage, and the quickest way across the desert.
Dash 8 turboprop
Up to 43 passengers on one aircraft for a wedding, a retreat or a corporate group, and usually the best cost per seat. Larger parties fly a CRJ-900 for up to 88 or a 737 for up to 170, and group departures board through the domestic terminal at Cairo International.
See the aircraft we broker for the full range by cabin class.
Before you fly
What should I know before flying Cairo to Siwa?
It is a domestic flight, so there is no customs at either end. Bring passports or Egyptian ID; the crew checks them at the aircraft. You can arrive at the terminal fifteen to twenty minutes before departure.
The airfield is the constraint. Siwa has no civilian airport. The field is operated by the military, permission is arranged per movement and planned at up to two weeks for a round trip, and services on the ground are basic. The desk confirms the permission, the fuel and the vehicles before it quotes the flight, and nothing is promised for a date the field has not cleared.
Once you land, everything is close. The Temple of the Oracle where Alexander was declared a son of Amun, Cleopatra's Pool, the Zeitoun salt lake, the Shali fortress in the old town and the Great Sand Sea beyond are all within a short drive of the oasis. Most lodges send their own vehicles to the aircraft.
Siwa is a drop-off, not a parking stand. There is no overnight parking for a visiting aircraft at the field, so on most trips the aircraft lands, unloads and returns to Cairo, then positions back in for the pickup. That is why a round trip to Siwa is priced as two round trips rather than one aircraft waiting, and why the desk asks for the dates early enough to arrange the two permissions together. The same aircraft also reach Siwa from Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada and El Gouna, and a seasonal airline flight to Marsa Matruh with a three-hour drive is the only other way in.
On the Cairo side, Sphinx is the better private airport for most trips. A single 11,975 foot runway west of the city in Giza, open 24 hours with customs on site, no airport slot, no airline queue, about 35 minutes from downtown and materially cheaper to operate into. Cairo International in Heliopolis earns its place when you are connecting onto a scheduled flight, when the destination is the east of the city, or when the aircraft might need maintenance support, which Sphinx cannot provide. It is slot coordinated with mandatory handling, so the permit, slot and handling are filed together.
No time change and no customs. Siwa is on Egypt time, and a mid-morning departure from Sphinx has you at the lodge for lunch.
When to go
When is the best time to fly Cairo to Siwa?
October to April is the season, when the desert is cool by day and cold at night. The winter holiday weeks are the busiest for aircraft out of Cairo and for the lodges, and with a two-week permission lead time they need firm dates a month ahead.
The rest of the year the oasis is quiet and hot. The permission lead time does not change, so the earliest a Siwa trip can be confirmed is about two weeks from the day you give the desk your dates.
Related
Cairo airport guides
The Cairo fields this sector uses, with runways, handling and history on their own guides. Siwa gets its page when our operations team has flown it enough to write one.
Questions
Cairo to Siwa private charter questions
How long is a private flight from Cairo to Siwa?
About 50 minutes on a light jet and about 1 hour 10 minutes on a turboprop. The sector is 311 nautical miles from Sphinx to the Siwa airfield. By road it is about eight hours across the Western Desert.
Is there an airport in Siwa?
There is an airfield, but no civilian airport and no airline service. The field is operated by the military, so each private movement needs a permission arranged in advance, planned at up to two weeks for a round trip. The desk arranges it alongside the Egyptian permit.
How far ahead do I need to book Cairo to Siwa?
Allow about two weeks for the Siwa permission, which is the longest lead time on any domestic route we fly in Egypt. For the winter holiday weeks, give the desk firm dates a month ahead.
Which Cairo airport do private flights to Siwa use?
Sphinx, west of the city in Giza, for most trips: no slot, no airline queue, about 35 minutes from downtown and cheaper to operate into. Cairo International in Heliopolis when you are connecting from a scheduled flight or the destination is the east of the city.
Which aircraft flies Cairo to Siwa?
A King Air 350 class turboprop for up to eight, a Citation CJ or Phenom 300 class light jet for six or seven, and a Dash 8 for groups of up to 43. The desk matches the aircraft to the group and to what the field can take on the day.
Can a large group fly to Siwa privately?
Yes. A group charter on a Dash 8 carries up to 43 passengers on one aircraft and is how weddings, retreats and corporate groups reach the oasis. It is often the best cost per seat on this route.
Can the aircraft stay at Siwa overnight?
Usually not. The field has no overnight parking for visiting aircraft, so the aircraft drops you and returns to Cairo, then comes back for the pickup. A round trip is priced on that basis, and the desk arranges both movements with the Siwa permission.
What determines the cost of a Cairo to Siwa charter?
The aircraft, the group size, whether the aircraft waits or returns, the Egyptian permit and the Siwa permission, and the dates against the October to April season. We tell you what the quote covers before you book.
Can I fly Siwa to Cairo on the same page?
Yes. The sector is quoted in both directions and the permission covers the round trip. Put Siwa as the departure in the form and the desk handles it the same way.
Do I need a passport for a Cairo to Siwa flight?
It is a domestic flight, so there is no customs. Bring a passport or Egyptian ID for the crew to check at the aircraft.
What is there to see in Siwa?
The Temple of the Oracle of Amun, Cleopatra's Pool, the Zeitoun and Fatnas salt lakes, the Shali fortress in the old town and the Great Sand Sea. All are within a short drive of the oasis, and most lodges send vehicles to the aircraft.
When is the best time to visit Siwa?
October to April, when the desert is cool by day. Summer is severe. The winter holiday weeks are the busiest for the lodges and for aircraft out of Cairo.
Can I combine Siwa with Luxor or the Red Sea on one trip?
Yes. The desk plans multi-leg Egypt itineraries on one aircraft, with each domestic leg covered by the Egyptian permit. Siwa is the leg with the longest lead time, so it sets the timetable.
Get your number
Cairo to Siwa, quoted from the desk
Give us the dates, the passengers and the lodge. You will get an aircraft that suits the field, the permissions filed and a number you can hold us to.
Get a number for your datesPrefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203 or email charter@icarusjet.com. The desk is staffed 24/7.