By Mohamed Attia
Around 82,000 passengers arrived at Cairo International Airport on 612 flights on April 25, the day on which Egypt celebrates Sinai liberation.
Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Abbas said, “This is the highest number in the airport’s history. Things are going well and every day large numbers of travellers are received.”
Cairo International Airport, which received 20 million passengers by the end of 2022, has been classified as one of the highest density for flights and passenger numbers in the African continent.
Meanwhile, the airport has been undergoing extensive development in order to provide top-quality services and ensure smoother passenger traffic flow.
Minister Abbas praised the efforts of all Cairo International Airport staff, which culminated in achieving the highest operating rates reached by flights coming to and from the airport, as well as with regard to the number of arriving and departing passengers.
The minister of civil aviation also confirmed that this achievement comes in light of the continuous development plan witnessed by Egyptian airports in general during the past period, including Cairo International Airport.
The minister also hailed the quality of services provided to customers at Cairo International Airport. He said that this trend helped attract many international airlines, thanks to the increased travel and tourism movement, which is expected to witness remarkable growth during the coming period, due to the airport’s distinguished geographical location.
He described the Cairo airport as a main gateway to Egypt. Cairo airport’s mission is to become a passenger and cargo hub for the Middle East and North Africa region. It is the busiest airport in Egypt and the primary hub for Egypt Air.
The minister said that the continuous increase in the rates of passengers and aircraft represents a major challenge that Cairo airport is witnessing, pointing out that we must continue our main goals towards providing better services with high efficiency and developing the infrastructure continuously to meet the growing demand for travel and tourism. This comes in light of the comprehensive development goals and Egypt’s future vision 2030.
Regarding the development work at Cairo International Airport, Board Chairman of Cairo Airport Company, Magdy Ishak, noted that Cairo airport is witnessing a great development during the current period, as the experimental operation of the electric treadmill project was started last November in preparation for the opening and official operation soon.
This came within the framework of the directives of Minister Abbas to provide all facilities to ease the movement of passengers between the three passenger buildings and prevent overcrowding at Cairo International Airport.
The electric treadmill project, which connects Terminal 2 and the multi-storey garage, contributes to facilitating the movement of passengers and parking, and avoiding any congestion inside Cairo airport.
Ishak said that the electric walkway is 454 metres long, the metal bridge is 65 metres long, and the pedestrian walkway is 308 metres long. The assembly station (HUB) is 81 metres long with an area of 1,200 metres. The walkway includes two collection areas, the first at the multi-storey garage, and the second at the terminal building 2, in addition to five service areas distributed along the length of the walkway.
The HUB area includes commercial and service facilities, cafeterias, and toilets, in addition to internet services and fire systems.
As for the multi-storey garage project, which is one of the development schemes at Cairo International Airport, Ishak confirmed that it has a capacity of more than 2,500 cars, with a ground area of 18,000 square metres, containing five floors, and ten elevators operating at full capacity.
Ishak said that the Cairo airport’s garage has also been developed by carrying out paint works, beautifying the floors, raising the efficiency of the toilets, providing the garage with LED lighting systems, a ventilation system, a rain drainage network, in addition to improving fire-extinguishing networks.
The Egyptian airports are witnessing a comprehensive upgrade in infrastructure during the current period. The Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation (EHCAAN), headed by Eng. Mohamed Saeed Mahrous, and the Egyptian Airports Company, headed by Pilot Ahmed Mansour Ali, are working to achieve a boom in services provided to passengers and increase air and tourist traffic to reach 30 million tourists annually.
The last period witnessed the operation of Sphinx International Airport after its development and increasing its capacity to 1.2 million passengers annually. It is one of the most important new airports. Domestic flights were operated from it on the first of last November, and international flights started on the first of last December.
Minister Abbas said that his ministry is also working on raising the efficiency of Borg el-Arab airport, set to open next June.
Egypt is currently building the first eco-friendly building at Borg el-Arab International Airport in co-operation with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport has also undergone overall development by increasing its capacity from 7.5 million passengers to 10 million passengers annually.
The development plan also included various airports, particularly Hurghada and Saint Catherine airports. The security system and air navigation facilities at local airports were modernised according to the latest international standards.
EgyptAir has established the National Centre for Airspace Management to develop the airspace, provide navigational services, and enhance air safety.
As for the new airports, Bernice International Airport is ready to operate in the event that any airline company requests to operate from it. As for El Alamein airport, which has a capacity of 300 passengers per hour, it has received many private planes.
