The service recorded 15,800 users in February 2026.. 94% of them international travelers who do not speak Arabic
The digital campaign introducing the service achieved 460,307 views
Cairo International Airport has achieved a new milestone, as Airports Council International – Africa (ACI Africa) announced that the Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation has won the Digital Innovation & Community Engagement Award for 2026, for the smart digital assistant project "Ask Mariam" at Cairo International Airport, launched in October 2025 in cooperation with Orange.
The award was announced during the 75th ACI Africa Conference and Exhibition held in the Angolan capital Luanda, with wide participation from airport leaders and civil aviation experts from across the continent, under the slogan "Stronger Airports.. Stronger Africa", which highlights the vital role airports play in supporting economic growth and strengthening air connectivity within Africa.
Eng. Ayman Fawzy, Chairman of the Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation, stated that this win is a vote of confidence in the company's digital transformation drive, stressing that the company is moving forward with clear and tangible steps on this path, whether by developing the administrative work environment and applying the concept of paperless offices, or by implementing a set of digital initiatives inside Egyptian airports.
He noted that the "Ask Mariam" service, designed to be a smart digital assistant for every traveler to, from and through Egyptian airports, is a digital success story with a tangible impact inside Cairo International Airport, expressing his pride that this Egyptian innovation has won continental recognition as one of the most distinguished digital practices.
The ACI Africa Digital Innovation & Community Engagement Awards are among the most prominent awards celebrating African airports that use digital platforms innovatively and effectively. The "Ask Mariam" service earned this honor after a careful evaluation by a panel of international experts based on 4 main criteria: digital innovation, passenger service, community engagement and effectiveness. The service met these criteria by using artificial intelligence technologies to improve the passenger experience and provide accurate, up-to-date information on flights, services and facilities around the clock. With this achievement, Cairo Airport keeps pace with digital development and consolidates its position as one of the airports setting standards for digital excellence and the passenger experience across the continent.
The Holding Company for Airports revealed that in just the first 4 months of operating the service, more than 33,700 travelers benefited from "Ask Mariam" inside Cairo International Airport. The service also recorded strong and continuous monthly growth, with users rising from 2,900 in November 2025 to 5,400 in December 2025, then 9,500 in January 2026, reaching 15,800 users in February 2026, a monthly growth rate of 67%, reflecting growing reliance on the service and travelers' trust in it over time.
Usage indicators showed that 94.2% of all users were international travelers who do not speak Arabic, reflecting the service's ability to meet the needs of a diverse base of international travelers at Cairo International Airport and confirming its success in offering an easy, understandable, cross-language digital experience.
The impact of "Ask Mariam" was not limited to direct use inside the airport, but extended remarkably to digital platforms, as passengers spontaneously filmed their interactions with the service and shared their experience on social media. This spontaneous engagement from travelers is an important indicator that the service was not just a technical tool but a striking experience that users chose to share with their followers, boosting Cairo International Airport's digital presence and consolidating its image as a modern airport keeping pace with the latest global practices in passenger service.
In the same context, the digital campaign carried out by the Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation to introduce the service achieved 460,307 views, along with 38,694 direct interactions, a clear reflection of the interest the initiative attracted, both through institutional content and user-generated content, which helped expand reach and strengthen community engagement naturally and effectively.
