By Mohamed Attia
Egypt’s Minister of Civil Aviation, Sameh El-Hefny, met with Japan’s Ambassador to Egypt, Oka Hiroshi, and Kato Ken, the Executive Director of the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) office in Cairo, at the ministry’s headquarters in the New Administrative Capital. The meeting, attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, focused on strengthening strategic partnerships and reviewing ongoing projects to meet future development needs in the civil aviation sector.
El-Hefny emphasised the deep-rooted historical and economic ties between Egypt and Japan, highlighting the productive economic relations across various sectors, including the strategic partnership in civil aviation. He pointed to the development of Terminal 2 at Borg El Arab Airport, a collaborative project with JICA, as a significant step towards transforming Egyptian airports into environmentally friendly “green airports” by promoting the use of renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions. He also noted that flights would gradually be moved to the new terminal, marking an important addition to Egypt’s airport infrastructure aligned with sustainable development goals.
The Minister expressed his enthusiasm for further collaboration with Japan in various aviation activities, underscoring the importance of incorporating advanced Japanese technology within Egypt’s airport system and benefiting from Japanese expertise across different areas.
Ambassador Oka praised the fruitful Co-operation between Egypt and Japan, expressing his satisfaction with the near completion of the Terminal 2 project at Borg El Arab International Airport. He reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to strengthening economic ties that support the mutual interests of both countries and contribute to Egypt’s development efforts. The ambassador also commended Egypt’s significant progress in infrastructure projects and its comprehensive development agenda, expressing his eagerness to expand economic Co-operation and partnerships within the civil aviation sector, particularly in the context of Egypt’s ongoing economic reforms.
Ambassador Oka also highlighted the importance of the direct flight route between Cairo and Tokyo, launched in September last year, as a crucial step in enhancing bilateral relations. He expressed hope for increasing the frequency of direct flights in the near future, which would significantly boost tourism and air cargo traffic, given the growing trade and export volumes between the two countries.
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