President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met today in El Alamein with Dr. Sameh El-Hefny, Minister of Civil Aviation, and Suhair Abdallah, Chairwoman of EgyptAir Air Services. The official spokesman for the Presidency stated that the meeting reviewed the comprehensive strategic vision for advancing the civil aviation sector in all its components, including air navigation, the aircraft fleet, airport development and human resource capacity building, as part of the state's efforts to enhance the sector's efficiency, increase its capacity and improve the quality of services offered to passengers, in support of the state's target of raising tourist numbers to 30 million.
Ambassador Mohamed El-Shenawy, the official spokesman, said the President followed up on the implementation status of the "New Republic Air Gateway" at Terminal 4 of Cairo International Airport, with the Minister of Civil Aviation presenting the technical and operational specifications of the project, which aims to build a new passenger terminal in line with the latest international standards, with a capacity of no less than 30 million passengers, raising the airport's total capacity to more than 60 million passengers annually, with full compliance with safety and security standards and environmental sustainability concepts.
The spokesman added that the President directed continued development of Egyptian airports through international partnerships based on efficiency and sustainability, along with encouraging private sector participation, within the framework of Egypt Vision 2030, which aims to transform airports into advanced regional hubs adopting the latest global operating systems, while stressing the provision of an attractive investment environment that ensures economic feasibility and sustainable development.
In this context, the Minister of Civil Aviation reviewed the outlines of the national strategy for involving the private sector in operating airports, prepared in cooperation with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) as the ministry's strategic adviser. He explained that work has been under way on an integrated national strategy aimed at involving the private sector in operating and developing Egyptian airports, with this ambitious strategy due to be completed before the end of summer 2025. The strategy aims to develop the civil aviation sector, raise operational efficiency, improve the level of services offered to passengers, and bring in private investment and advanced operational expertise to develop 11 major airports, while fully ensuring that public ownership of these vital assets is maintained. In this context, the President directed moving forward with developing airports according to the latest methods and offering Hurghada Airport for partnership with the private sector by the end of 2025.
The spokesman noted that the meeting also addressed air navigation, citing the international praise received by the Egyptian air traffic control system, especially amid the recent regional crises and the closure of airspace in neighboring countries, which raised air traffic over Egyptian airspace to more than 1,600 aircraft per day. International organizations such as Eurocontrol, ICAO and IATA praised the efficiency of Egyptian air traffic controllers, who managed the traffic with high efficiency without compromising safety standards or operational discipline. The plan to develop Egyptian airspace was also reviewed, through restructuring it and upgrading its radar systems and related communications equipment.
The spokesman also pointed out that the meeting touched on the notable progress achieved by EgyptAir, particularly in upgrading passenger service across the various stages of travel. For the first time, it won the award for "Best Airline Staff in Africa" for 2025 in the assessment of global organization Skytrax during the Paris Air Show. The company also won several awards this year, most notably Best Economy Class Meals, Most Improved Airline in Africa (for the second year in a row) and Best Cabin Crew on the continent. The minister added that EgyptAir moved up 20 places from last year to rank 68th in the list of the world's top 100 airlines out of more than 325 airlines.
He also reviewed the company's plan to modernize its fleet to reach 97 aircraft by 2028-2029, enhancing its competitiveness and improving the travel experience. The Minister of Civil Aviation also reviewed efforts to develop EgyptAir Air Services by raising the efficiency of infrastructure and equipment, training staff, upgrading ground equipment, raising the level of services and fully complying with international standards, as well as developing business lounges to meet the best levels of comfort and service, and improving the company's on-time performance, according to the official Facebook page of the Presidency spokesman.
