Cairo – The Egyptian Ministry of Aviation announced last week the signing of contracts for implementing three large construction civil projects. The information was disclosed by several local newspapers.
The first contract, worth 1.5 billion Egyptian pounds (US$ 273 million), concerns the development and modernization of the airport at the Hurghada resort, by the Red Sea. The project includes the building of a new terminal, which should expand the capacity to 7.5 million passengers per year.
The new terminal will occupy an area of 91,500 square metres and will receive domestic and international flights. “The terminal was designed to accommodate the growing number of passengers who travel to this extraordinary tourist destination in our country,” said the president of the Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation, Ibrahim Manae.
According to him, presently the Hurghada airport is capable of receiving 5 million passengers per year, but the traffic already exceeds that figure. “Tourism in Hurghada is developing at full tilt, and the building of a new terminal has become a true need,” said the executive. Manae added that the project will be implemented over the course of 36 months, and will use cutting-edge technology.
An automatic luggage management system and another for integrated security will meet international requirements. “With this new terminal, we are hoping to set a new standard for the region,” said the pilot Medhat Hindawi, president of the Egyptian Airports Company, who added that passengers will have access to a wide variety of stores, duty-free boutiques and restaurants. “We are implementing this project in partnership with a large Saudi group,” he claimed, referring to the Bin Laden Group.
In recent years, a large number of expansion works was carried out at the Hurghada civil airport, including the building of the arrival hall, which cost US$ 155 million.
The second contract concerns works to be carried out at the Cairo Airport. The project will cost US$ 91 million and consists of the building of a five-star hotel in the airport’s vicinities. It will have 350 rooms and suites destined accommodate passengers in transit.
The establishment will be directly linked to the airport’s terminal 3 by an access that will enable passengers to move with ease. “The French Meridien network will be in charge of managing the hotel, which will be exceptionally well located,” said Hindawi.
The third project will also be implemented near the Cairo airport. It is the construction of Aerocity, a family leisure park to be built within the airport’s investment zone. With an area of 3 million square metres, the enterprise should cost 1 billion Egyptian pounds (US$ 183 million) and will be carried out in two phases.
The first phase will consist of the building of a business centre, and the second, of a entertainment park following the guidelines of Disney World, in the United States. “There will also be parks, artificial lake, game courts, a water park, and several restaurants,” said Hindawi.
According to him, the project is one of the most ambitious ever in the African continent or the Middle East. “This will be a new feature of the Cairo Airport, for which a long-term development and modernization plan is underway,” he finished off.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
