Captain Dr. Sameh El-Hefny, Minister of Civil Aviation, took part in a meeting of the House of Representatives' Tourism and Aviation Committee, chaired by MP Sahar Talaat Moustafa, attended by MPs Amr Darwish and Hisham Hussein, deputy chairs of the committee, and MP Ahmed El-Ashmouny, the committee's secretary, along with committee members and leaders of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, to discuss the ministry's strategy and future development plan and respond to briefing requests submitted by MPs.
The Minister of Civil Aviation reviewed the ministry's strategy in light of the state's plan to develop and support the aviation sector as one of the key pillars for achieving tourism and economic development targets, in implementation of the political leadership's directives to develop airport infrastructure and improve the level of services provided to travelers.
The Minister of Civil Aviation noted that building Terminal 4 at Cairo International Airport is one of the ministry's most prominent national projects, given its role in increasing the airport's capacity and turning it into a pivotal regional hub able to keep pace with the rapid growth in travel, while applying the latest operational and technological systems to improve the passenger experience and boost the airport's regional and international competitiveness.
Passport Card
In a forward-looking step towards applying digital transformation, easing arrival and departure procedures and developing the travel system at Cairo International Airport, the Minister of Civil Aviation noted that full coordination took place with the Ministry of Interior and the relevant authorities to begin implementing the decision to abolish the passport card from 27 January at the Seasonal Terminal. Some technical problems accompanied the implementation and were dealt with and appropriate solutions found, and a trial application of the system began from 13 to 17 February at Terminal 3, with the application to be gradually expanded to cover the remaining passenger terminals and Egyptian airports.
El-Hefny added that coordination is underway with the Ministry of Interior to activate electronic passport gates (E-Gates), to ease passengers' procedures and improve their experience on all flights in the coming phase.
Offering Airports to the Private Sector
Regarding offering airport management and operation to the private sector, the Minister of Civil Aviation explained that airports are sovereign assets and are not for sale, stressing that the matter is limited to cooperation with the private sector in commercial activities, helping raise the efficiency of the services provided.
The minister noted that Hurghada International Airport is the first of the government offerings program, in cooperation with the International Finance Corporation, as prequalification documents were obtained by about 68 specialized global companies and consortia, ahead of the tender process and the selection of a strategic partner to manage, operate and develop the airport, with the experience to be evaluated ahead of offering a number of other Egyptian airports.
Airspace
El-Hefny pointed out that the ministry is implementing a plan to restructure Egyptian airspace, including redistributing air routes to reduce distances flown and flight times, helping cut fuel consumption and carbon emissions and strengthening Egypt's ability to attract more transit air traffic over its airspace.
He explained that this step is part of an integrated vision to develop the infrastructure for air traffic control and navigation using the latest global systems and technologies, ensuring both operational efficiency and aviation safety.
The Minister of Civil Aviation touched on the digital transformation efforts carried out by the ministry, the Civil Aviation Authority and affiliated companies, noting that these initiatives aim to improve internal work efficiency and serve employees, as well as develop the services provided to the external public and those dealing with civil aviation, helping ease procedures and provide digital services that keep pace with global developments in the aviation sector.
EgyptAir
Regarding the development of EgyptAir, El-Hefny stressed that this file is a priority, as a comprehensive vision is being implemented aimed at expanding the fleet and improving operational efficiency and the services provided to passengers, while adhering to environmental standards and working to increase profitability.
The Minister of Aviation explained that the airline is implementing an ambitious plan to modernize its fleet, including the addition of 34 new aircraft, divided into 16 Airbus A350-900 and 18 Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft, which will raise the airline's total fleet to 97 aircraft by 2030-2031, along with refurbishing the cabins of 19 B737-800 aircraft, in addition to two widebody A330-200 aircraft.
El-Hefny added that EgyptAir has achieved record profit rates, and work is underway to reduce previous years' losses by more than 50%, with these losses to be wiped out through a timetable spread over 4 years.
Air Cairo
In a related context, the Minister of Aviation said that Air Cairo, EgyptAir's economic arm and charter operator for attracting tourism to Egypt, currently has a fleet of 40 aircraft, with the number targeted to rise to 82 aircraft over the next four years, helping develop the route networks of the two airlines so they complement each other.
As part of the attention to improving and developing quality levels, EgyptAir was crowned for the first time on global platforms with several international awards according to the 2025 Skytrax global assessment, most notably: Best Economy Class Onboard Catering, Most Improved Airline in Africa (for the second year in a row), Best Cabin Crew in Africa and Best Airline Staff in Africa. EgyptAir also made notable progress in the same global ranking, coming 68th in the list of the world's top 100 airlines, up twenty places from its 2024 ranking.
The Minister of Aviation also touched on hot air ballooning, noting that it is a regulated activity but an important means of promoting tourism in Egypt, stressing that the ministry follows the organization of this activity closely to ensure the highest standards of safety and security are applied, and works to develop it to enhance the tourism experience in areas with suitable natural and geographic features.
