Minister of Civil Aviation Lt. Gen. Younis Al-Masry and Minister of Tourism Dr. Rania Al-Mashat today witnessed the opening of the development works at Hurghada International Airport and the new Passenger Terminal No. (2), following the completion of its upgrade, which raised its efficiency and increased its capacity so that it is ready for the expected increase in the number of tourist groups arriving at and departing from the city of Hurghada, one of the world's most important tourist destinations.
In his speech, Lt. Gen. Younis Al-Masry stressed that this opening aims to upgrade the air transport industry, provide the best possible services to passengers, and ensure comfort and luxury for travelers through Egyptian airports.
He added that all of the Ministry of Civil Aviation's projects aim to boost tourism, praising the fruitful cooperation, joint effort and constant coordination between the ministries of civil aviation and tourism, which contribute to achieving growth and prosperity for the benefit of the state's economy.
During the opening, Minister of Tourism Dr. Rania Al-Mashat expressed her appreciation for the great efforts made by Minister of Civil Aviation Lt. Gen. Younis Al-Masry and his team at the ministry to develop Egyptian airports, noting their importance in raising the level of service provided to travelers and increasing the global competitiveness of Egyptian airports, and stressing the importance of Hurghada as one of the Egyptian tourist cities that attract the most tourists.
She pointed to the many flights that go directly to Hurghada, especially as the airport serves many other cities, namely El Gouna, Sahl Hasheesh, Safaga and El Quseir, noting that the development of this terminal will help increase the airport's capacity to receive a larger number of tourists and travelers.
She also touched on the continuous cooperation and coordination between the ministries of tourism and civil aviation on many important files, including the new aviation incentive program launched last November, which achieved positive results and had a noticeable impact on the rise in inbound tourist traffic to Egypt.
For his part, Captain Wael El-Nashar, chairman of the Egyptian Airports Company, reviewed the technical, administrative and security development works at Hurghada Airport and the construction of a 4-km runway. This comes as part of the goals of the modernization plan to raise the efficiency of infrastructure at Egyptian airports, increase their capacity and equip them with the latest global technological systems, through a tight plan that makes use of available resources and rationalizes spending, in line with the intensity of operations and the increase in the number of passengers arriving in Egypt, as the new passenger terminal can accommodate about 7.5 million passengers annually.
He added that the latest security equipment has been installed in line with international specifications, and the best services for travelers have been provided, as the terminal contains departure and arrival halls, 11 departure gates connected to aircraft by direct jet bridges, and 9 departure gates serving remote aircraft by bus. The new terminal handles 45% of the airport's total operated flights, and most European and domestic flights have been transferred to it.
The terminal also includes 72 check-in counters for registering departing passengers and receiving their baggage, in addition to two counters for oversized baggage. The infrastructure of the international departure procedures area, the conveyor belt system and the departure baggage sorting area have also been developed through an automated transport system with 6 belts to carry departing passengers' bags and 9 electric belts for arriving passengers to collect their baggage.
A security surveillance camera system and an electronic door control system have also been installed, with a total of 486 cameras, and the cameras' storage capacity has been increased. An additional automatic detection system has been installed in the baggage conveyor area and the alarm and automatic fire extinguishing system has been upgraded, in addition to the installation of an additional biometric gate in the Sorting Area and explosives detection devices, the upgrade of the suspended ceiling of the international departure and arrival halls, with a total area of 17,500 m2, the modernization of the lighting system with the use of energy-saving bulbs, and raising the efficiency of the lighting network.
The general site of the airport has also been landscaped and beautified, the interior paintwork of the terminal has been refurbished, and 35 aircraft fueling lines have been developed by establishing 56 points to serve 27 aircraft. In addition, the airport's airfield has been developed through several projects, most notably the construction of a main runway 4,000 m long and 60 m wide, and 6 links connecting the main runway with the parallel taxiway, along with their lighting, as well as flood protection works.
