It operated as a 'paper airline' for parent company Egyptair under a wet lease-like agreement[1] to serve flights exclusively between Egypt and Israel.

To fulfill the treaty, Air Sinai was established in 1982 to fly scheduled services between Egypt and Israel (on routes previously flown by Nefertiti Aviation), which for political reasons could not be handled by parent company Egyptair.

[citation needed] Due to the tense Egypt–Israel relations, the airline operated discreetly: for a long time it had no website, public schedule of flights, markings on planes, signs at the airports, or a way to make online bookings.

In February 2020, online booking was introduced via a website run by a third-party travel agency based in the United Kingdom.

[2] On October 3, 2021, Egyptair commenced operating direct flights from Cairo to Tel Aviv under its livery, bringing an end to the Air Sinai era.