Minister of Civil Aviation Dr. Sameh El-Hefny said the winning consortium to manage, operate and develop Hurghada International Airport is due to be announced in 8 months, as part of the plan to offer Egyptian airports for operation by the private sector.
Speaking at a press conference today, El-Hefny said the ministry aims for the term of handing airport management and operation to the private sector to be between 25 and 30 years, subject to the approval of the House of Representatives. He noted that the partnership with the private sector aims to achieve the best added value for the state and benefit from specialized technical and management expertise, while preserving state ownership of airport assets and full sovereignty over them.
El-Hefny stressed that the term will allow the winning consortium sufficient time to implement its development plans and achieve a suitable return on the investments it will make during the contract period.
In the pre-qualification stage of the project, 10 consortia applied to take part in the tender process. After the evaluation committee examined the qualification applications and submitted documents against the conditions and criteria set out in the request for qualification (RFQ) document, 7 consortia were qualified to move to the next stage of the tender.
He added that after the competing consortia's qualification applications and documents were examined by the evaluation committee in line with the conditions and criteria in the RFQ document, 7 consortia were qualified to move to the next stage of the tender process.
The Minister of Civil Aviation stressed that cooperation with the private sector does not mean selling airport assets, affirming that airports are state assets that cannot be sold. Rather, the state aims to give the private sector the opportunity to invest in them, helping to raise operating efficiency, maximize returns and add value to the national economy.
El-Hefny stressed that private sector involvement in managing and operating airports does not mean laying off current staff, explaining that employees will be retrained, requalified and upskilled to meet modern operating requirements, with the winning consortium responsible for carrying out the necessary training and qualification programs for Hurghada International Airport staff.
Dr. Sameh El-Hefny had met Ary Naïm, the International Finance Corporation's (IFC) regional manager for North Africa and the Horn of Africa, and Saad Sabrah, head of the IFC's office in Egypt, on the sidelines of the Egypt International Airshow (EIAS 2026) in El Alamein, held from 8 to 10 September, to follow up on the tender for the project to manage, operate and develop Hurghada International Airport under a public-private partnership.
He said the project is in line with the Egyptian state's directives to keep developing the civil aviation system, raise the level of services provided to passengers and improve the travel experience, noting that private sector participation and the use of specialized international expertise are key to raising operating efficiency and developing infrastructure and services at Egyptian airports in line with international best practices and standards.
El-Hefny explained that the tender and evaluation procedures are conducted in line with the governing rules and regulations and in a way that ensures the highest levels of transparency and competitiveness, stressing that the partnership with the private sector aims to achieve the best added value for the state and benefit from specialized technical and management expertise, while preserving state ownership of the airport's assets and full sovereignty over them.
Dr. Sameh El-Hefny praised the IFC's role in providing technical and advisory support for the project, given its international experience in preparing and implementing public-private partnership projects.
The qualified consortia are being notified of the next stages of the tender process, which include issuing the request for proposals (RFP) documents and setting the timetable and procedures for submitting bids, as will be approved in the coming stage.
