Simple Flying
Prachi Patel
01 October 2026
Egypt's recent passenger numbers show why the government is looking to add more airport capacity. Airports operated by the Egyptian Airports Company handled around 28 million arriving and departing passengers in 2025, up from 22.9 million in 2024. The number of flights also rose from about 173,800 to 209,800, a 20.7% increase. The increase was particularly noticeable at airports serving the country's tourist destinations, as international travel picked up during the winter season and the Christmas holidays.
Cairo International Airport: Civil Aviation Minister Sameh El-Hefny has said that the airport is expected to handle about 31 million passengers by the end of 2026. This would, of course, put it above the combined annual capacity of its existing passenger terminals. Terminals 1, 2, and 3 can handle roughly 28 million passengers.
The Egyptian government is now moving ahead with plans to build a fourth passenger terminal at CAI. The new terminal is expected to add around 40 million passengers in annual capacity, taking the airport's total capacity to between 68 million and 70 million passengers. The project is estimated to cost between $3.5 billion and $4.5 billion and is expected to take around four years to complete...
