Enhancing tourism: Discussing Egypt’s development of airports in 10 yrs

CAIRO - 27 September 2023: Airports have an important and vital role in attracting economic and commercial activities and attracting direct and indirect investment to areas that need development. 

The establishment of new airports in these areas contributes strongly to the development of the economic, social, cultural and tourism environment.

Over the past years, Egypt has witnessed the establishment of airports in some regions, and these airports have led to an increase in the number of passengers, and they are the basic foundation for achieving comprehensive development and linking them to Egypt’s tourist cities, as well as linking them to various cities of the world. 

This has contributed to the Egyptian national economy through economic and tourism development, which distinguishes tourist areas such as Sharm el-Sheikh, Marsa Alam and Hurghada. 

Achieving sustainability 

Many projects are currently being implemented to develop and modernize airports in Egypt, including the Cairo International Airport Development Project, which aims to increase the airport’s capacity to accommodate more passengers and improve passenger services.

There is a list of sustainable development projects in the airports’ sector, which boosts tourism movement. 

This list includes:

- Sharm El-Sheikh Airport

- Sphinx Airport

- Berenice Airport

- Bardawil Airport

- St. Catherine Airport

- Burj Al Arab Airport

- El Alamein Airport

- Hurghada  Airport

- Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Sohag, Assiut, Marsa Matrouh, Taba and Port Said airports 

Sharm El-Sheikh Airport

Sharm El-Sheikh Airport is on the list of sustainable development projects due to the important events and conferences the city witnessed in light of the incoming tourism movement throughout the year, which put it at the forefront of the permanent development map. 

The airport has witnessed development work increasing the capacity to 10 million passengers annually instead of 7.5 million passengers.

Solar power plants were also implemented through the signing of a cooperation protocol between the Industrial Modernization Center, the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, and the Egyptian Airports Company to provide technical support in implementing a solar power plant at Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport.

Sphinx Airport

Sphinx Airport was developed to serve the residents of the governorates of Giza, Fayoum, Beni Suef, Minya, and Menoufia, relieve congestion at Cairo Airport, and stimulate “one-day tourism,” given the airport’s proximity to the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Giza Pyramids area. 

Domestic flights began operating on November 1, 2022, and International flights began operating on December 1, 2022.

The development value of Sphinx Airport amounted to 2 billion pounds, indicating the opening of airspace for international and local airlines.

Berenice Airport

Berenice Airport, south of Marsa Alam, consists of a passenger terminal with a capacity of 600 passengers per hour, a corridor 3,650 meters long and 60 meters wide, an apron that can accommodate about 8 aircraft, and 47 technical, administrative and service facilities.

Bardawil Airport

Bardawil Airport is located in central Sinai in the Al-Maliz area to serve the industrial and agricultural areas in Sinai. 

The development work includes the construction and development of the airport, a passenger building with a capacity of 300 passengers per hour, a main taxiway with a length of 3,350 meters and a width of 60 meters, an aircraft apron that can accommodate 8 aircraft, an air traffic control tower, a meteorological building, and administrative facilities.

St. Catherine Airport

St. Catherine Airport is one of the important tourist airports that will achieve the state’s goals in stimulating religious and environmental tourism in the city.

The development work includes increasing the area of the passenger building and raising its efficiency, building a new building to increase the airport’s capacity from 80 passengers/hour to 600 passengers/hour, developing the current corridor to increase the airport’s capacity to serve the tourist area. 

The works also included creating a new “apron” that can accommodate 8 aircrafts in addition to the current apron, which can accommodate 3 aircrafts, bringing the capacity to 11 aircrafts, in addition to creating a new entrance to the airport and a parking lot that can accommodate 100 cars, as well as developing the airport wall.

Burj Al Arab Airport

As for Burj Al Arab Airport, the first environmentally friendly passenger building in Egypt is being built, accommodating 4 million passengers annually with a total area of 36,000 square metres, bringing the airport’s capacity to 6 million passengers annually. 

A new building worth 2 billion pounds has also been established. 

Hurghada Airport

Regarding Hurghada Airport, the airport was developed to accommodate the increasing air traffic. 

A system of security surveillance cameras and an electronic control system was installed, and the storage capacity of the cameras was increased. 

An additional system for automatic detection of the baggage conveyor belts area was installed, and the alarm system and automatic fire extinguishing were developed, in addition to the installation of an additional biometric gate and explosives detection devices. 

A new apron was also constructed to accommodate 12 aircraft stands to accommodate the increased air traffic.

El Alamein Airport

El Alamein Airport witnessed development work that included increasing its capacity to 400 passengers per hour, and the expansion of the current corridor to accommodate large aircraft was completed and the construction of a new corridor.

More airports

Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Sohag, Assiut, Marsa Matrouh, Taba and Port Said airports also witnessed development and efficiency work that included all of these airport facilities, such as lighting the corridors, comprehensive maintenance of the corridors, raising the efficiency of the air control tower, and replacing, renewing and installing automatic warning systems and automatic fire extinguishing of satellite and communications stations.