Sichuan Airlines (3U, Chengdu Shuangliu) is planning to launch its initial African route on October 23 linking its Chengdu base with Cairo International on a twice weekly basis.

Based on ch-aviation analysis of schedule data, while the initial two flights will operate with A330-200s, the Sichuanese carrier plans to deploy larger A330-300s on the route thereafter.

Sichuan Airlines has been rapidly growing its long-haul network out of Chengdu in recent years and currently serves Auckland International, Dubai International, Los Angeles International, Melbourne Tullamarine, Moscow Sheremetyevo, Prague Václav Havel, St. Petersburg, Tel Aviv Ben Gurion, Vancouver International, and Zurich. It also links Chongqing with Sydney Kingsford Smith, Hangzhou and Jinan with Los Angeles, and Shenyang Taoxian International and Zhengzhou with Vancouver.

Its widebody fleet currently consists of six A330-200s, six A330-300s, and a single A350-900. It has a further ten A350-900s on order from Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) and also plans to add additional A330s, although not from its own order backlog.