Expanding Cairo's gateway
The first phase of a long-awaited upgrade and expansion of Cairo International Airport is being inaugurated this week. Amira Ibrahim reports
Less than a year after construction commenced on the renovation of Cairo International Airport's transit and arrivals halls, the Terminal 1 car park, and the Terminal 2 domestic flights hall, Aviation Minister Ahmad Shafiq is due to inaugurate the LE86 million project on Saturday.
Expectations are high that the renovations will help the 40-year-old hub keep up with the increased air traffic coming into Egypt, as well as the changes in modern aviation that have taken place since the airport was first built.
"The transit hall has been enlarged and its capacity increased from 1200 to 4500 passengers per hour," said Maj Gen Hassan Mohamed Hassan, head of the Cairo International Airport Authority. A new 800-vehicle parking lot has also been constructed at a cost of LE25 million.
Hassan also described the airport's new LE3.6 million arrival hall as a long- awaited improvement in customer service. For decades, those waiting for relatives or friends to arrive had to wait outside the arrivals area, and deal with whatever weather conditions were present at the time. "Not any more," Hassan said, "for they will soon be able to enjoy a comfortable seat in an air conditioned hall equipped with screens monitoring their loved ones' arrivals."
The development project also includes improvements to the airport's security. According to Maj Gen Mohamed Salama, head of the airport security department, a new security operations centre -- equipped with hi-tech communication facilities -- has also been established. "We have computerised the whole network to enable complete monitoring of every point and location inside and around the airport," Salama said. "Each position has an identification number to ensure full control and safety. The operational centre also controls the fire fighting unit which is connected to every airport building via an early warning alarm system."
Salama also said that arrival and departure procedures for passengers have been simplified to increase both security and efficiency. Passengers will now be asked to fill out new identification cards that require only the necessary information. "We have also trained 20 security agents -- who are law school graduates -- to carry out the new procedures and help passengers deal with them," Salama said.
"Airlines working inside the airport were asked to stop using any manual procedures related to the processing of passengers and flights," Salama also said, indicating that "all relevant information would henceforth be recorded on computers to ensure the utmost level of security for all flights."
According to Shafiq, Egypt recently concluded a deal with the World Bank providing $400 million in loans towards funding the terminal's development, and establishing the airport's new third terminal. "We sought out $250 million worth of loans from the bank, but since they were impressed by the speed at which we were able to work on the development in progress, they offered to help us get an additional $150 million from the African Development Bank. We are going to use the extra loan to cover the development of other airports -- like Sharm El-Sheikh and Port Said -- that we are working with at present," said Shafiq.
According to the minister, construction of the third terminal will begin in August with electrical and water supply work. Building construction is slated to begin in March 2004.
"The new LE1.75 billion terminal will consist of three runways, two arrival and departure halls, and a transit hall. It will enlarge Cairo International Airport's capacity by 11 million passengers, to a total of 20 million passengers a year," Shafiq said. He added that the new terminal would be connected to the first and second terminals via shuttle buses and a number of bridges.
The development plans are also taking into account the many commercial opportunities that exist for airports today.
"Airports today are commercial projects whose performance should always be geared towards increasing revenues," Hassan said. "International studies show that air transport fees represent only 40 per cent of airport revenues, a percentage that is expected to shrink within 10 years to 20 per cent, while commercial operations will provide 80 per cent of airport revenues."
For one thing, airport employees will have to pay to park their cars. According to Hassan, "governmental bodies and officials who had previously obtained exceptions will also now have to pay all fees according to regulations." One hundred feddans of the airport's land are also being planted -- as a profit making activity -- with flowers. "We have made arrangements to export the flowers to various European countries, which will bring in additional revenues," Hassan added.
On the other hand, two months ago, the airport authority decided to provide free luggage wagons for passengers, a business which a private company had been operating for years. Although the measure resulted in the loss of an LE3 million contract per year, airport authorities justified it by saying free luggage trolleys were standard in airports around the world.
In general, Hassan said, the airport will be charging fees for services that match those of neigbouring international airports. "We cannot freeze prices at their current lowest rate while smaller airports impose higher fees," he said, indicating that the higher prices would only be put into force after the development projects were completed.
Amongst the new services on offer will be the use of a new VIP arrival and departure hall "to be constructed outside the airport with a capacity of 180-200 passengers per hour," said Ibrahim Manaa', head of the Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation. "Set to be completed in eight months, the LE37 million hall will mainly serve first class passengers and businessmen who want to pay more to have their papers and luggage checked while they rest in our luxurious lounges."
Policies governing the use of currently existing VIP lounges, meanwhile, will be adjusted. For 40 years, the VIP lounge has been restricted by regulations that stipulated which categories of government employees and top officials could use it. Shafiq -- who has always been against the use of these lists -- announced this week that both VIP lounges at terminals 1 and 2 would be temporarily closed for renovation. "The old VIP lounge will be reopened within seven months and will include several lounges to be booked in advance for high fees. Those who pay the fees will be allowed to use it. Even top officials, whether Egyptian or foreign, will have to pay the fees or else use the regular arrival and departure halls," Shafiq said.
In total, the development plans for the first and second terminals include 43 projects, "including the reconstruction of the infrastructure, electricity, water, drainage and air conditioning systems," Manaa' said.
"Domestic flights hall 3 is also being upgraded into an international hall," added Hassan, who said the LE60 million project will be implemented within eight months." He also said a multi- story underground garage is being constructed to serve those who need long- time parking.
To avoid traffic jams on Al-Orouba, the main road that connects the airport to downtown, a new road is currently under construction to provide an alternate route during peak times. "This new road will make passengers more comfortable, helping them avoid missing their flights, which represents one of the main complaints we get from passengers," said Hassan.
According to Hassan, the Cairo Airport development project will be completed by early next year. "By then, Cairo Airport will be as modern as one of the oldest airports in the Middle East deserves to be. It won't be the best of all, but it will be able to compete with the most modern airports in the region," an optimistic Hassan concluded.
Once the largest airport in the region, thanks to years of negligence and short- term approaches to dealing with its problems, Cairo International seems old-fashioned today, especially considering the massive modernisation projects taking place elsewhere around the country.
Established in 1963, Cairo International replaced the old Heliopolis airport located at the Hikestep area east of Cairo. It consisted of one arrival and departure hall, a transit hall and two runways with a capacity of five million passengers a year. As air transport rates went up by 55 per cent in the seventies, a second hall was constructed between 1977-79 and a third hall added in 1980.
In the eighties, air transport rates increased again, and a second terminal became a necessity. With its two arrival and departure halls, a transit hall and runway, Terminal 2 was constructed to serve 3.5 million more passengers per year.
C a p t i o n : The airport gets a facelift; the new arrivals hall; the new transit hall
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 5 -11 June 2003 (Issue No. 641)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/641/eg10.htm