By Mohamed Attia
Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Abbas Helmy issued instructions to all airport workers to fully prepare to receive the next winter season, provide all facilities, raise the level of quality of services provided to passengers and facilitate the travel and arrival of tourist groups.
This comes in preparation for the start of the new winter season and in line with the state’s plan to increase incoming tourist traffic to Egypt.
The minister also stressed the need for joint coordination with all concerned parties in order to achieve a successful winter season, which is scheduled to begin at the end of next October.
During the current period, the Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation is witnessing a major boom in the level of construction and services provided to passengers as a number of development projects are being implemented in various areas of the civil aviation sector, which aim to expand the development of services and facilities and increase the capacity of airports, which leads to maximising the revenues and contribution to developing the Egyptian state’s resources and transforming the Egyptian aviation sector into a hub for attracting the tourism and investment sectors.
For his part, Ahmed Mansour, head of the Egyptian Airports Company, is keen to conduct inspection tours at Egyptian airports to follow up on the progress of work inside the travel and arrival halls.
The development and modernisation plan witnessed by Egyptian airports during the past period and the addition of new airports to the sector have contributed to attracting many international airline companies, especially in light of the increasing travel and tourism movement in the Egyptian market.
For example, during the current period, Luxor International Airport is witnessing a noticeable increase in the number of flights arriving to the city of Luxor, which is one of the most important and preferred tourist destinations for those arriving from various countries of the world, especially during the winter season.
The flights of the national air carrier EgyptAir have been restarted from London to Luxor, with one flight per week until the end of the new winter season, in addition to operating two flights per week on the (Madrid/Luxor) route, and operating one flight per week on the (Barcelona/Luxor) route.
Air Cairo also operates flights from Spanish cities to Luxor, with two flights a week to Madrid and one flight a week from Malaga, Bilbao, Valencia and Barcelona to Luxor and a flight a week from the cities of Rome and Milan in Italy.
Luxor Airport also witnessed the operation of the first Nile Air flights to the Italian capital, Rome, starting this September, with one flight per week, in addition to the fact that its flights will be operated from the French cities of Lyon/Nantes to the city of Luxor, in addition to the operation of the first flights of Nessma Airlines coming from Spain during the same month, with three flights per week until the end of the winter season.
As for St. Catherine international Airport, the Ministry of Civil Aviation is working on completing its development in line with the status of the Great Transfiguration Project, Egypt’s gift to the world.
The Great Transfiguration Project is one of the most important tourism projects adopted by the Egyptian state during this period because it includes several aspects, the most important of which is the spiritual and religious aspect, especially since the St. Catherine area contains important religious landmarks.
The development work at the airport includes developing the air field, constructing a new corridor 3,000 metres long, expanding the apron to accommodate 8 aircraft parking lots, developing the passenger terminal and service buildings, as well as constructing a new passenger terminal with a capacity of 600 passengers per hour, which includes an international and domestic travel hall, an international and local arrival hall and a VIP lounge.
On the other hand, development work is currently underway at Al-Arish Airport to become an international airport after the completion of comprehensive development work and the application of the latest technological equipment and technologies that provide comfort and luxury to travelers.
The development work includes constructing a new passenger hall with a capacity of 600 passengers per hour and raising the efficiency of some existing buildings.
It also includes air field development work, which is raising the efficiency of the main corridor, 3000 metres long and 45 metres wide, completing the work of the auxiliary corridor, 450 metres long and 30 meters wide, and raising the efficiency of the connections between the main corridor.
The development work at Al-Arish Airport will be a strong addition to increasing air traffic for domestic and international flights in the city of Al-Arish, which is one of the promising cities in North Sinai governorate to support the tourism and investment sectors in this region.
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