Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly affirmed that the project to offer Egyptian airports to the private sector concerns management and operation only, not the state's ownership of the airports, as the complaints received from airport users relate to the management system, not the airport's basic infrastructure.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday evening following the government's weekly meeting held in the city of El Alamein, Madbouly noted that the government had faced numerous criticisms that it intends to sell state assets, pointing out that all developed and Arab countries, most notably the Gulf states, Jordan and Turkey, have assigned the management and operation of this facility to the private sector through specialized global companies, "which is what we are currently working on with the International Finance Corporation, by offering the airports to the private sector because it is the most capable of management and operation, so that we avoid any criticism of the current system."
Madbouly explained that there are views favoring the state being at the head of the airport management and operation system and others supporting the encouragement of the private sector, and whenever the state takes any decision in this regard, it is criticized by the other side.
The Prime Minister stated that he had issued directives to the Minister of Civil Aviation for all Egyptian airports to have management and operation contracts with specialized companies, stressing that this has nothing to do with state control or ownership of the airports, as they are vital facilities, according to the official Facebook page of the Egyptian Cabinet.
