Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Abbas Helmy said that Egypt will soon announce an international bid to manage and operate Egyptian airports.
During an interview with CNBC Arabic on Monday, Helmy added that the bid will include all airports, including the Cairo International Airport.
The ministry aims to increase the number of passengers through the Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh airports to 10 million passengers this year, he announced.
The mechanisms for financing the construction of a new passenger terminal at Cairo Airport are also currently being studied.
Helmy explained that “The period from 2014 to 2023 witnessed a remarkable growth in increasing the capacity of Egyptian airports, as it reached 63.5 million passengers in 2023, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation continues its plan to increase the capacity of Egyptian airports to 72 million passengers.”
Egypt’s airport systems continue to be developed and efforts are in place to improve the traveler experience, he said, as Egyptian airspace is being redesigned to be more flexible and increase available transport capacities.
He added that procedures for establishing private Egyptian airline companies are being encouraged and facilitated, the number of which has so far reached 12 Egyptian airline companies.
The minister said that legislation is also being audited and updated in accordance with international standards to achieve the highest levels of safety and security.
Helmy referred to the growth plan of of national flag carrier EgyptAir, as the number of points reached by the company are now 79, including 27 points in Africa, through its operations and also by its low-cost arm, AirCairo.
He said that it is anticipated that the number of destinations will reach 114 by doubling seat capacity, aiming to transport approximately 23 million passengers by 2028.
