By Mohamed Attia
The conference and exhibition of the International Council of African Airports (ACI AFRICA) concluded on Thursday, held under the theme “Airports: Engines of Sustainable Economic and Social Development.”
Egypt hosted the event for the third time under the patronage of Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli. It saw the participation of 400 members representing airports and international organisations from 52 African countries, attended by Ahmed Issa, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Mahmoud Esmat, Minister of Public Business Sector, Ambassador Sahar El-Jundi, Minister of Immigration and Egyptian Expatriate Affairs, and Nevine El-Qabbaj, Minister of Culture.
During the conference, Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Abbas Helmy, stressed that the International Council of Airports plays a significant and effective role in enhancing co-operation among all members to improve airport policies and programmes for the development of airport standards, contributing to the provision of safe air transport industry with high efficiency and effectiveness, in accordance with the regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
He praised the efforts of the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the International Air Transport Association for their effective role in the development of the aviation industry.
He added in his speech, Egypt has been a pioneer in civil aviation, starting in 1910 when the first international air race in the world was organised from Heliopolis Airport to the Pyramids of Giza, with the participation of 12 racers from 11 European countries. The first real step for Egypt to enter the world of aviation came with the arrival of the first Egyptian pilot with his plane to Heliopolis Airport after a journey that lasted fifteen days from Berlin to Cairo on January 26, 1930. Since then, this day has become a celebration for Egyptian civil aviation.
The minister added that Egyptian airports have been the foundation on which aviation in Egypt was built, with the opening of Almaza Airport as the first Egyptian international airport coinciding with the establishment of Egypt Air in May 1932.
The construction of airports continued with the opening of Port Said Airport in 1945, followed by the opening of Al Nozha Airport in Alexandria in 1947, and the Luxor and Marsa Matruh airports in 1954, and Aswan in 1960. In 1963, Cairo International Airport was opened after its development, then Hurghada International Airport in 1966, and then many other airports were established, making the total number of airports in Egypt until 2010 twenty airports.
In light of the infrastructure development in Egypt and the Egyptian state’s belief in the importance of the aviation industry, four new airports (Sphinx, Capital, Bernice, and El Burdweil) were established, in addition to the development and increase of the capacity of Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada airports from 2016 to 2022.
Three other airports (Borg El Arab, St. Catherine, and El Arish) are currently being developed and their capacity increased within a comprehensive national system aimed at achieving sustainable development and Egypt’s vision 2030.
Abbas said that the aviation industry is one of the main pillars of the growth of countries’ economies due to its effective impact on achieving development through boosting tourism and global trade movement.
The total passenger traffic worldwide in 2019 reached about 4.5 billion passengers, then decreased to 3.5 billion passengers in 2022, then witnessed another increase in 2023 to 4.3 billion passengers.
The aviation industry relies on key axes represented in (airports, airlines, air navigation, other services), but it is affected by many challenges (economic, political, social, environmental).
Abbas added that our African continent possesses human resources, a distinctive location, breathtaking nature, and natural resources. These features make it fertile and attractive for more promising investments.
He pointed out that there are many opportunities that we can invest in together, to collaborate with our brothers in Africa in developing the aviation industry. Some of these activities include aircraft maintenance and training, air cargo, air traffic control training at various levels, aviation education, training crews on different aircraft models, as well as airport management and operations.
He emphasised the possibility of establishing partnerships with various airlines to optimise the available opportunities to increase air connectivity. Air connectivity constitutes a fundamental pillar that directly and significantly impacts increasing investment volumes and supporting the economic output of the countries of the continent.
According to IATA estimates, a 10% increase in air connectivity contributes to a 0.6% growth in foreign direct investment and a 1.1% increase in economic output, especially since the contribution of the African civil aviation industry does not exceed 2% of the total contribution of the global aviation industry to the global economy.
Finally, he expressed his interest in posing a question: Is the weakness in air transport in the continent a result of its economic capabilities? Or did the weakness of economic capabilities result from the weakness of air transport movement in Africa?
On the other hand, Ahmed Issa, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, indicated that inbound tourism to Egypt relies on aviation by more than 90%. Aviation is the main means of reaching Egyptian tourist destinations.
He pointed out the continuous work, coordination, and integration between the ministries of tourism, antiquities, and civil aviation to achieve the tourism industry’s goals in Egypt and connect Egyptian cities and tourist destinations with each other. The general strategic goal of the Egyptian state is to attract 30 million tourists in 2028, as a step towards ensuring Egypt’s fair share of global tourism.
Issa added that achieving this goal requires continuous co-operation between the ministries of tourism and civil aviation, as aviation is one of the three main axes of this strategy, in addition to improving the tourist experience and enhancing the tourism investment climate. Achieving the industry’s goals in Egypt requires increasing airline seats to three times their current number in 2021.
He also mentioned that the Civil Aviation Ministry spares no effort in providing all means of support for inbound tourism to Egypt, offering technical support in implementing aviation stimulation programmes launched by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. They provide discounts on landing fees, accommodation, and ground services at airports in tourist provinces, as well as exempting foreign airlines from paying usage fees for all countries worldwide, to activate inbound traffic to tourist airports.
Egypt received around 3.6 million tourists during the last quarter of 2023, the second-highest rate for this period in the history of tourism in Egypt since 2010, which was the peak year for tourism. This growth continued with the beginning of 2024, witnessing a 5% increase in inbound tourist traffic during the first forty days compared to the same period in 2023.
Abbas emphasised that the co-operation between the ministries of tourism and civil aviation bore fruit, as the number of airline seats coming to Egypt in 2023 increased by more than 30% compared to 2022.
This co-operation has extended to improving the services provided at various Egyptian airports for travelers from different countries, and improving part of the experience of obtaining tourist visas.
In light of the liberalisation of Egyptian airspace for global tourism, Issa stressed that the Ministry of Civil Aviation provides many facilities for foreign airlines, resulting in many low-cost airlines operating flights to Sphinx International Airport in Cairo. Major companies such as TUI, EasyJet, Pegasus, FlyNas, and Wizz Air have started operating flights to Cairo through Sphinx Airport.
On another note, Engineer Mohamed Saeed Mahrous, Chairman of the Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation, during his speech, pointed out the international developments witnessed by the aviation industry as a fundamental pillar for the growth rates of the national economy and a locomotive of development experiencing rapid and consecutive growth, although it is one of the most affected industries by all surrounding conditions.
He added that airport development does not contradict environmental preservation, as the Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation has developed an ambitious plan to reduce carbon emissions and use clean energy to make the Egyptian airport system more growth-oriented and sustainable.
In their speeches during the conference sessions, the speakers praised Egypt’s developmental leap in various fields, especially in the Egyptian airport system, which serves as a role model for all African countries. They pointed out that the meetings will address exchanging insights, constructive suggestions, best practices, especially in the field of infrastructure development, as well as exchanging supportive experiences that would achieve further development in various civil aviation activities.
They also praised the presence of five Egyptian ministers at the conference, whose files are related to and consistent with the airport system and its development mechanisms according to the vision and developmental orientations of the Egyptian state, which aims to support all issues that would achieve comprehensive development for all African countries.
On the sidelines of the conference, Minister Helmy met with Louis Philippe, Director-General of the International Airports Council, Emmanuel Chavez, President of the International Airports Council for the African Region, and Ali Tunisian, the Secretary-General of the International Council of Airports and Khaled Al-Alfi, Assistant to the Chairman of the Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation, to discuss aspects of coordination and effective co-operation between the ministry and the International Airports Council, on the sidelines of the sessions of the conference.
