The Ministry of Civil Aviation announced the official opening of applications for consortiums and specialized companies wishing to prequalify for the tender process to select a strategic partner to manage, operate and develop Hurghada International Airport, in line with the highest standards of transparency and efficiency.
The program comes within the Egyptian state's strategy to strengthen and maximize the role of the private sector in managing and operating airports and upgrading the quality of their services in line with the latest international standards and technologies, and in implementation of the offerings program launched by the Egyptian government in June 2023 with the support of the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
The program aims to raise the efficiency of services provided to travelers and to accommodate the growing increase in travel and tourism traffic, as the state targets receiving 30 million tourists by 2030, amid the strong recovery the tourism sector is witnessing.
In this context, Dr. Sameh El-Hefny, Minister of Civil Aviation, stressed that Hurghada International Airport was chosen as the first phase of the offerings program because it is the country's second-busiest airport in terms of air traffic and one of Egypt's most important airports for international tourist traffic, as well as for its pivotal role in supporting economic activity in the Red Sea region.
El-Hefny explained that developing the airport is a key step to raising operational efficiency and expanding capacity to keep pace with the continuous rise in visitor numbers, and will help attract more international flights.
The Minister of Civil Aviation noted that the partnership with the private sector in developing Hurghada International Airport aims to improve operational performance and raise the level of services provided to passengers, while fully preserving state ownership of the assets and limiting the partner's role to development and operation in accordance with the governing regulations.
El-Hefny also stressed that this step is part of an integrated program to develop and modernize Egyptian airports, as the civil aviation sector is a key element in supporting economic growth and attracting investment.
According to data issued by the Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation, Egyptian airports received more than 50 million passengers in 2024 on nearly 400,000 flights, reflecting the accelerating growth in travel and the rising demand for air transport services.
Hurghada International Airport recorded the highest operating rates among Egyptian airports, receiving about 10.5 million passengers during the 2024–2025 fiscal year, a growth rate of 22% compared with the same period of the previous year.
It is worth noting that the Egyptian government announced last March the start of its cooperation with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to provide advisory support for public-private partnership programs in the airport sector. The IFC is currently preparing an integrated strategy to develop partnerships at a number of the country's airports, and is also serving as lead adviser for the partnership project at Hurghada International Airport, Egypt's second-largest airport by passenger numbers and the first of the airports targeted under the new partnership program.
