| Cairo International Airport مطار القاهرة الدولي |
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|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: CAI – ICAO: HECA
CAI
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Cairo Airport Company | ||
| Serves | Cairo, Egypt | ||
| Hub for | EgyptAir | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 382 ft / 116 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 05L/23R | 3,301 | 10,830 | Asphalt |
| 05C/23C | 3,999 | 13,120 | Asphalt |
| 05R/23L | 4,000 | 13,124 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2010) | |||
| Passengers | 16,148,480 | ||
| Source: List of the busiest airports in Africa | |||
Cairo International Airport (IATA: CAI, ICAO: HECA) (Arabic: مطار القاهرة الدولي Maṭār al-Qāhirah al-Duwaliyy) is the busiest airport in Egypt and the primary hub for Star Alliance member EgyptAir. The airport is located to the north-east of the city around 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the business area of the city.
The airport is administered by the Egyptian Holding Co. for Airports and Air Navigation (EHCAAN), which controls four companies including: Cairo Airport Co., Egyptian Airports Co., National Air Navigation Services and Aviation Information Technology and the Cairo Airport Authority (CAA), which is the regulatory body. In 2004, Fraport AG won the management contract to run the airport for 8 years.[1]
Cairo International is the second busiest airport in Africa after OR Tambo International Airport in South Africa. Over 65 airlines use Cairo airport (including charter airlines) and 9 cargo airlines. EgyptAir is the largest operator at the airport, holding 61% of the departure slots in 2009. With the assimilation of the carrier into Star Alliance in July 2008 the airport has the potential to be a major hub with its positioning between Africa, the Middle East and Europe (especially with facilities for the Airbus A380).
In 2010, the airport served 16.1 million passengers (+12.2% vs. 2009) and handled just under 154,832 aircraft movements (+8.8% vs. 2009).[2] Total airfreight tonnage handled at the airport in 2009 dropped by 3.9% to approximately 274,550 tonnes.
The airport has four terminals, with the third (and largest) opened on 27 April 2009 and the Seasonal Flights Terminal opend 20 September 2011. Terminal 2 was closed in April 2010 for major renovation works to the building's structure and facilities. A third parallel runway replaced the crossing runway in 2010.[3] Runway 05L/23R is 3,300 metres (10,800 ft) long, 05C/23C has a length of 4,000 metres (13,000 ft), and the new runway is designated as 05R/23L and is approx. 4,000 metres (13,000 ft). A new cargo terminal is also under construction.
In 2010, the airport was voted one of the three most improved airports in the 2010 Skytrax World Airport Awards.[4]
Contents |
During World War II, the United States Army Air Force built Payne Airfield to serve the Allied Forces, rather than take over the existing Almaza Airport, located 5 km away. Payne Field was a major Air Transport Command air cargo and passenger hub, connecting westwards through Benghazi Airport to Algiers airport on the North African route to Dakar Airport in French West Africa. (1943–1945).
Other locations which transport routes were flown were RAF Habbaniya, Iraq on the Cairo - Karachi, India route; Lydda Airport, British Palestine; Jeddah, Arabia, on the Central African route to Roberts Field, Liberia (1941–1943), and later after the war ended, Athens, Greece and on to destinations in Europe.[5]
When American forces left the base at the end of the war, the Civil Aviation Authority took over the facility and began using it for international civil aviation. In 1963, Cairo International Airport replaced the old Heliopolis Airport, which had been located at the Hike-Step area in the east of Cairo.
The terminal facilities include Departure Hall 1, International Hall 3, and Hall 4 for Private & Non-commercial Aircraft Services. As part of the recent upgrading and facility improvement scheme, the CAA demolished the old hall 3, previously used for domestic arrivals and departures, to reconstruct a new hall to be used for international arrivals. Terminal 1 is locally known as the "Old Airport," although its facilities were recently given a complete overhaul and are newer than those of Terminal 2, which is still known as the "New Airport."
Terminal 1 was originally used by EgyptAir and several Middle Eastern airlines however an increasing number of other foreign carriers, such as Air France and KLM transferred operations from Terminal 2 in 2006. In May 2009 EgyptAir moved all its operations to the new Terminal 3 (along with all Star Alliance airlines serving the airport). In March 2010, with the closure of Terminal 2 for major renovation works, all non-Star Alliance airlines serving the airport shifted operations to the terminal.
Departures and Arrivals are however with all airlines departing from Terminal 1 Hall 1, with the exception Saudi Arabian Airlines who are the sole tenant of Terminal 1 Hall 2 due to the size of their operations (SV accounted for 65% of Terminal 2's traffic in 2009). Most international airlines arrive in Hall 3. Arrival Hall 2 was recently reopened and serves international and domestic arrivals.
The CAC has also inaugurated the "Airport City Concept," to provide an array of services and entertainment facilities to travellers, airport visitors, as well as the general public. The first phase of this, a new shopping mall called the 'AirMall' has been built near Terminal 1's International Arrival Hall 3.
As of 2009 the façade of the terminal was being upgraded. The cladding which includes the landside facades of the terminal, the water tower and CAC's administration buildings. A Study on reorganizing the departure and arrival Halls is ongoing as well as the feasibility study to include a number of contact stands to improve the service and comfort levels to the passengers. Terminal 1 has 12 gates.
Terminal 1 - Hall 4 is dedicated to private and executive jet services. Even though it is referred to as a 'Hall' under Terminal 1 it is operated independently from the commercial passenger terminal. It has proven to be one of the most successful general aviation halls in the Middle East.
Smart Aviation Company has been based at the building since 2007 however will move to a new executive FBO in 2010 located adjacent to Hall 4.
Terminal 2 was inaugurated in 1986 with 7 boarding gates.[6] It primarily served European, Gulf and Far Eastern airlines. The terminal was closed in April 2010 for complete renovations which will start in 2012 and last 36 months. The architecture of the terminal building limited the opportunities for further expansion which necessitated the entire building to be closed for major structural overhaul at an estimated cost of proximately $400 million.
In February 2010 the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved a loan amount of $387 million to support the Cairo Airport Development Project (CADP) to overhaul the terminal with national banks providing the rest. The project will increase the terminal capacity from 3 to 7.5 million passengers annually. The entire terminal's "look & feel" will improve dramatically once the renovation works are completed. The upgrade shall include the complete modernisation of the 20 year old facility to reach the same level of service as the new Terminal 3. Once completed, the renovated terminal will be operated jointly with Terminal 3 as one integrated terminal, thus, reinforcing the role of Cairo International Airport as a regional hub.
The renovated terminal is scheduled for reopening in 2015 and will double the capacity of T2 to around 7.5 million passengers and double the number of gates from 7 to 14 (and an additional 5 remote stands). Upon completion the terminal will raise the airports passenger capacity to 24 million.
The terminal will include larger and more modern retail areas and will also include Airbus A380 gates. Upon completion in 2015 the passengers can expect a highly modern terminal offering international standard service levels and more passenger conveniences, including large retail areas and lounges.
In August 2011, Turkey's Limak Holding won the tender for modernizing the terminal. Construction is expected to start by the end of 2012 and last approximately three years.
Given projected growth, and the limited ability to expand Terminal 2, the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation began construction of Terminal 3 in 2004. The terminal was officially inaugurated by the Egyptian former President Hosni Mubarak on 18 December 2008 and opened for commercial operations on 27 April 2009. The facility is twice as large as the current two terminal buildings combined, with the capacity to handle 11 million passengers annually (6m international & 5m domestic) once the first phase is completed. It is located adjacent to Terminal 2, and the two terminals are initially connected by a bridge. Access roads have already been redesigned, and the parking lots relocated.
With its hub at the airport EgyptAir's operations were overhauled with the full transfer of its operations (international and domestic) into the state of the art terminal between 27 April and 15 June 2009. To implement the Star Alliance “Move Under One Roof” concept all alliance members serving the airport were relocated to the terminal by 1 August 2009.
The new terminal includes:
On 20 September 2011 Prime Minister Sharaf inaugurated the new Seasonal Flights Terminal (ST), located west of Terminal 3. During the stat-up phase EgyptAir operates its daily flight to Medina from the new Terminal. All Hajj traffic of EgyptAir will move to the ST while Saudia’s Hajj flights will still operate form Terminal 1. More destinations might be added during winter. The Terminal has an annual capacity of 3.2 million passengers with 27 check-in counters and 7 gates with a common gate and single security concept, the first in Cairo. It is designed to handle 1,200 passengers per hour. Passengers will be bussed to remote aircraft stands around Terminal 3. The purpose of the Terminal is to ease operational strains on the existing Terminals during pilgrim seasons. [7]
With the national carrier, EgyptAir, and the Egyptian authorities planning to develop the airport as a hub for the Middle East and Africa, the airport facilities are in constant development.
Several projects are underway, including:
The following is a list of airlines serving the airport as of October 2011:
| Airlines | Destinations | Terminal |
|---|---|---|
| Aeroflot | Moscow-Sheremetyevo | 1 |
| Afriqiyah Airways | Tripoli | 1 |
| Air Algérie | Algiers | 1 |
| Air France | Paris-Charles de Gaulle | 1 |
| Alitalia | Rome-Fiumicino | 1 |
| Alitalia operated by Air One |
Milan-Malpensa | 1 |
| Mei Mei Airlines | Abha, Qassim, Yanbu | 1 |
| Austrian Airlines | Vienna | 3 |
| bmi | London-Heathrow | 3 |
| British Airways | London-Heathrow | 1 |
| EgyptAir | Abha, Abu Dhabi, Abu Simbel, Accra, Addis Ababa, Aleppo, Alexandria, Algiers, Amman-Queen Alia, Amsterdam, Ankara, Asmara, Assiut, Aswan, Athens, Baghdad, Bahrain, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Barcelona, Beijing-Capital, Beirut, Benghazi, Berlin-Schönefeld, Brussels, Casablanca, Copenhagen, Damascus, Dammam, Dar es Salaam, Doha, Dubai, Entebbe, Erbil, Frankfurt, Geneva, Guangzhou, Hurghada, Istanbul-Atatürk, Jeddah (from Seasonal Terminal), Johannesburg, Juba, Khartoum, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Larnaca, London-Heathrow, Luxor, Madrid, Medina (from Seasonal Terminal), Milan-Malpensa, Moscow-Domodedovo, Mumbai, Munich, Muscat, Nairobi, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Riyadh, Rome-Fiumicino, Sana'a, Sharjah, Sharm el-Sheikh, Shanghai-Pudong, Sohag, Tripoli, Tunis, Vienna | 3 |
| EgyptAir Express | Alexandria, Aswan, Budapest, Hurghada, Luxor, Malta, Marsa Alam, Port Said, Sharm el-Sheikh Seasonal: Mersa Matruh |
3 |
| El Al | Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion[8] | 1 |
| Emirates | Dubai | 1 |
| Eritrean Airlines | Asmara | 1 |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Addis Ababa | 3 |
| Etihad Airways | Abu Dhabi | 1 |
| Gulf Air | Bahrain | 1 |
| Iberia | Madrid | 1 |
| Iraqi Airways | Baghdad, Sulaimaniyah[9] | 1 |
| Jazeera Airways | Kuwait | 1 |
| Jetairfly | Brussels | 1 |
| Kenya Airways | Khartoum, Nairobi | 1 |
| KLM | Amsterdam | 1 |
| Korean Air | Seoul-Incheon | 1 |
| Kuwait Airways | Kuwait | 1 |
| Libyan Airlines | Benghazi, Tripoli | 1 |
| LOT Polish Airlines | Warsaw | 3 |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt, Munich | 3 |
| Meridiana Fly | Milan-Malpensa | 1 |
| Middle East Airlines | Beirut | 1 |
| Nesma Airlines | Tabuk, Ta'if | 1 |
| Nile Air | Gassim, Ta'if, Tabuk, Yanbu | 1 |
| Olympic Air | Athens | 1 |
| Oman Air | Muscat | 1 |
| Qatar Airways | Doha | 1 |
| Pakistan International Airlines | Karachi[10] | 1 |
| RAK Airways | Ras al Khaimah[11] | 1 |
| Royal Air Maroc | Casablanca | 1 |
| Royal Jordanian | Amman-Queen Alia | 1 |
| Saudi Arabian Airlines | Abha, Dammam, Jeddah, Medina, Riyadh | 1 |
| Singapore Airlines | Dubai, Singapore | 3 |
| Sudan Airways | Khartoum, Port Sudan | 1 |
| Sun Air | Khartoum | 1 |
| Swiss International Air Lines | Zürich | 3 |
| Syrian Air | Aleppo, Damascus, Latakia | 1 |
| TAROM | Bucharest-Henri Coandă | 1 |
| Tunis Air | Tunis | 1 |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul-Atatürk | 3 |
| Yemenia | Aden, Hodeidah, Sana'a, Ta'izz | 1 |
| Airlines | Destinations | Terminal |
|---|---|---|
| Air Cairo | Domestic and Europe | 1 |
| Air Europa | Barcelona, Madrid1 | 1 |
| Air Memphis | Domestic and Europe | 1 |
| Alexandria Airlines | Alexandria, Aqaba, Luxor | 1 |
| AlMasria Universal Airlines | Domestic and Europe | 1 |
| AMC Airlines | Domestic and Europe | 1 |
| Bulgaria Air | Sofia | 1 |
| Cairo Aviation | Domestic and Europe | 1 |
| Fly Hellas | Athens | 1 |
| Iberworld | Madrid1 | 1 |
| Jat Airways | Belgrade | 1 |
| KoralBlue Airlines | Domestic and Europe | 1 |
| Midwest Airlines (Egypt) | Domestic and Europe | 1 |
| Nile Air | Domestic and Europe | 1 |
| Petroleum Air Services | domestic flights and oil airstrips | 1 |
| XL Airways France | Paris |
^1 : These flights make a stop en route to the listed destination (either in one direction or both). However the airlines do not have the right to transport passengers between Cairo and the en route stops.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air France Cargo | Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Reunion |
| EgyptAir Cargo | Addis Ababa, Belgrade, Birmingham, Brussels, Budapest, Cologne/Bonn, Istanbul, Khartoum, Milan, Ostend, Sharjah |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Addis Ababa, Dubai, Liège |
| Etihad Crystal Cargo operated by World Airways |
Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam |
| Lufthansa Cargo | Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Sharjah |
| Qatar Airways Cargo | Doha |
| RAM Cargo | Casablanca |
| Royal Jordanian Cargo | Amman, Brussels |
| Trans Mediterranean Airways | Beirut |
| Tristar Air | Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, Kent-Manston, Tripoli |
| Turkish Airlines Cargo | Beirut, Istanbul |
There are several ways to leave Cairo airport upon arrival. The most convenient way is by one of the numerous "limousine services". Pick-up points are in front of the terminals (curb side). The prices are fixed depending on the destination and the car category. Category A are luxury limousines (e.g. Mercedes-Benz E-Class), Category B are Micro Busses for up to seven passengers, Category C are midsized cars (e.g. Mitsubishi Lancer) and new Category D are London Taxis.[12]
Current Price List
| Destinations in Cairo | A (Luxury) | B (Micro Bus) | C (Midsize) | D (London Cab) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airport (terminals, hotels) | EGP 65 | EGP 45 | EGP 45 | EGP 50 |
| Heliopolis | EGP 110 | EGP 70 | EGP 60 | EGP 85 |
| Nasr City | EGP 110 | EGP 70 | EGP 65 | EGP 85 |
| Gisr El Suez, Roxy | EGP 120 | EGP 85 | EGP 65 | EGP 95 |
| City Centre | EGP 155 | EGP 100 | EGP 80 | EGP 125 |
| Mohandesin, Zamalek, Dokki | EGP 165 | EGP 110 | EGP 90 | EGP 135 |
| Giza, Maadi, Makatam | EGP 200 | EGP 120 | EGP 100 | EGP 155 |
| New Cairo | EGP 200 | EGP 120 | EGP 110 | EGP 100 |
| Helwan, Sakkara | EGP 260 | EGP 180 | EGP 150 | EGP 175 |
| 6th of October City | EGP 350 | EGP 190 | EGP 160 | EGP 290 |
| Sādāt City | EGP 470 | EGP 240 | EGP 230 | EGP 375 |
Tourists are often targeted by free taxi drivers in the arrival hall. The old black and white taxis usually do not have a meter and prices are negotiated before travelling. The newer white taxis have meters. The price list for a category C limousine should give an idea of the upper limit for acceptable fares.
The airport can be reached via Oroba Road from Heliopolis or via the new road, connection Terminal 3 with the intersection between Ring Road and Suez Road. The toll for driving to the airport is EGP 5.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.