Cairo International Airport
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| Cairo International Airport مطار القاهرة الدولي |
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| IATA: CAI – ICAO: HECA | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Cairo Airport Authority | ||
| Serves | Cairo, Egypt | ||
| Hub for | EgyptAir | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 382 ft / 116 m | ||
| Coordinates | 30°07′19″N 031°24′20″E / 30.12194°N 31.40556°E | ||
| 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 |
| 16/34 | 3,178 | 10,427 | Asphalt |
| Sources: Airport website[1] and DAFIF[2][3] f the existing airfield is 4,000m by 65m and will be suitable for the Airbus A380. | |||
Cairo International Airport (IATA: CAI, ICAO: HECA) (Arabic: مطار القاهرة الدولي) 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 km 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. [4]
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. With the assimilation of EgyptAir 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 A380).
In 2008, the airport served 14,360,175 passengers (+14.2% vs. 2007) and handled just over 138,000 aircraft movements (+12.4% vs. 2007). According to Airports Council International statistics, of the top 100 airports in the world, CAI reported the highest growth rate of any airport in 2008.
The airport has three terminals with a third (and largest) opening on 27 April 2009. A fourth runway is currently under construction (opens late 2009) and a single cargo terminal. Runway 05L/23R is 3,300m long, 05C/23C has a length of 4,000m and 16/34 is 3,180m (all of the runways are 60m wide). The fourth runway (05R/23L), which is south ontly given a complete overhaul and are newer than those of Terminal 2, which is still known as the "New Airport."
Contents |
[edit] Terminals
[edit] Terminal 1
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 is used by several Middle Eastern airlines, and an increasing number of other foreign carriers, such as Air France and KLM, who transferred operations from Terminal 2 in 2006. Terminal 1 has 12 gates.
The CAA has also inaugurated the "Airport City Concept," to provide an array of services and entertainment facilities to travelers, 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 New 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.
[edit] Hall 4
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 there since 2007.
[edit] Terminal 2
Terminal 2 was inaugurated in 1986.[6] It serves primarily European and Far Eastern airlines, airlines from the Persian Gulf region, and sub-Saharan Africa.
The architecture of the terminal building limits the possibility of expansion. There is significant congestion when more than 3 flights check in simultaneously, or more than 2 planes arrive at the same time. The terminal itself has 7 boarding gates.
In April 2009 a new exclusive lounge opened in the Departure area of Terminal 2 . The Exclusive lounge is a small world of its own and includes a separate VIP entrance guarantying privacy away from the general public and offers an impressive setting for departures.
In July 2008 the Cairo Airport Company (CAC) said it would allocate $400 million to develop the airport's Terminal 2. The move is meant to increase the terminal capacity from 3 million passengers to 7.5 million annually. The entire terminal's "look & feel" will improve dramatically once the renovation works are completed. Upgrade of Terminal 2 shall include a modernization of the 20 years old facility to reach the same level of service as the new Terminal 3 since both terminals will be operated "under one roof" in the near future.
NACO/ECG were assigned to prepare three (3) different scenarios for Terminal 2’s re-development and the draft report was submitted in April 2008. The detailed design for T2 is ongoing. The project which will take 36 months will double the capacity of T2 to around 7.5 million passengers. It will include larger and more modern retail areas and will also include Airbus A380 gates. The project will take around 36 months to be completed at a cost of approximately USD 350 million. Upon completion in 2013 the passengers can expect a highly enhanced modern designed terminal offering international standard service levels and more passengers' convenience to include a large and appealing retail area and lounges.
As an interim measure several carriers operating from the terminal will briefly relocate to Terminal 3 while the terminal is renovated.
[edit] Terminal 3
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 President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday 18th 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 once the first phase is completed. It is located adjacent to Terminal 2, and the two terminals will initially be 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 tranfer 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:
- Two piers of extendable capacity and gates facilities serving domestic and international traffic, handled through contact and remote. The main building and the piers are connected by concourses. Two of the gates will be equipped to handle the Airbus A380 aircraft. Provisions for a third pier are currently in the planning stages.
- Terminal 3 has 23 gates (2 gates for the A380), 26 passport control desks at check-in and 28 passport control desks at check-out, 54 aircraft parking places, 7 baggage carousels, 110 Check-in desks and 160 elevators, moving walkways and escalators.
- Land side works including bridges and fly-over serving the traffic to and from the terminal building, surface car park areas (multi-story parking garage capable of holding more than 3,000 cars), a new access road connecting the airport with the Autostrad road (Cairo ring road) and upgrading the access roads.
[edit] Other developments
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:
- A luxury 350-room five-star Le Méridien hotel is to be built in front the new Terminal 3.
- Construction of a new fourth runway for completion in late 2009, south of the existing airfield.
- The opening of a new ATC Tower.
- The Cairo Cargo City (CCC) will provide state of the art facilities to support the growth in cargo traffic through the airport.
- Expanding the Cairo Metro to serve the airport. The new line, which is in an advanced stage of execution, will link the airport at one end, and Mohandessin (in Giza), at the other. It is expected to be operational by 2012.
[edit] Airlines and destinations
[edit] Scheduled
| Airlines | Destinations | Terminal |
|---|---|---|
| Aegean Airlines | Athens | 2 |
| Aeroflot | Moscow-Sheremetyevo | 1 |
| Afriqiyah Airways | Tripoli | 1 |
| Air Algérie | Algiers | 1 |
| Air Berlin operated by Tuifly | Berlin-Tegel, Cologne/Bonn, Munich | 2 |
| Air France | Paris-Charles de Gaulle | 1 |
| Air Sinai | Tel Aviv | 3 |
| Alitalia | Milan-Malpensa, Rome-Fiumicino | 2 |
| Austrian Airlines | Vienna | 3 |
| bmi | London-Heathrow | 3 |
| British Airways | London-Heathrow | 2 |
| Buraq Air | Tripoli | 1 |
| Cyprus Airways | Larnaca | 1 |
| Czech Airlines | Prague | 1 |
| Delta Air Lines | New York-JFK | 1 |
| EgyptAir | Abu Dhabi, Abu Simbel, Abuja, Accra, Addis Ababa, Aleppo, Alexandria, Algiers, Almaty, Amman, Amsterdam, Asmara, Assiut, Aswan, Athens, Bahrain, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Barcelona, Beijing-Capital, Beirut, Benghazi, Berlin-Schönefeld, Brussels, Casablanca, Damascus, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Dar es Salaam, Düsseldorf, Entebbe, Frankfurt, Geneva, Guangzhou, Hurghada, Istanbul-Atatürk, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Kano, Khartoum, Kuala Lumpur-Sepang, Kuwait, Lagos, Larnaca, Lisbon, London-Heathrow, Luxor, Madrid, Medina, Milan-Malpensa, Moscow-Domodedovo, Mumbai, Munich, Muscat, Nairobi, New York-JFK, Osaka-Kansai, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Riyadh, Rome-Fiumicino, Sana'a, Sharjah, Sharm el-Sheikh, Tokyo-Narita, Tripoli, Tunis, Vienna | 3 |
| EgyptAir Express | Alexandria, Aswan, Budapest, Catania, Hurghada, Luxor, Malta, Marsa Alam, Mersa Metruh, Sharm el-Sheikh. Sharq Al Owainat | 3 |
| El Al | Tel Aviv | 1 |
| Emirates | Dubai | 2 |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Addis Ababa, Khartoum | 1 |
| Etihad Airways | Abu Dhabi | 2 |
| Gulf Air | Bahrain | 2 |
| Iberia Airlines | Madrid | 2 |
| Iraqi Airways | Baghdad | 1 |
| Jetairfly | Brussels1 | 2 |
| Kabo Air | Kano1 | 1 |
| Kenya Airways | Khartoum, Nairobi | 1 |
| KLM | Amsterdam | 1 |
| Korean Air | Seoul-Incheon1 | 2 |
| Kuwait Airways | Kuwait | 2 |
| Libyan Airlines | Benghazi, Sebha, Tripoli | 1 |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt | 3 |
| Lufthansa operated by PrivatAir | Munich | 3 |
| Meridiana operated by Eurofly | Milan-Malpensa | 2 |
| Middle East Airlines | Beirut | 1 |
| Nasair | Asmara | 1 |
| Olympic Air | Athens | 2 |
| Oman Air | Muscat | 2 |
| Qatar Airways | Doha | 2 |
| Royal Air Maroc | Casablanca | 1 |
| Royal Jordanian | Amman | 1 |
| Saudi Arabian Airlines | Dammam, Jeddah, Medina, Riyadh | 2 |
| Singapore Airlines | Dubai, Singapore | 3 |
| Sudan Airways | Khartoum, Port Sudan | 1 |
| Swiss International Air Lines | Zürich | 3 |
| Syrian Air | Aleppo, Damascus, Latakia | 1 |
| TAROM | Bucharest-Otopeni | 1 |
| Tunis Air | Tunis | 1 |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul-Atatürk | 3 |
| Wataniya Airways | Kuwait | 1 |
| Yemenia | Aden, Sana'a1 | 1 |
[edit] Charter
| Airlines | Destinations | Terminal |
|---|---|---|
| Air Cairo | Domestic and Europe | 1 |
| Air Europa | Barcelona, Madrid1 | 2 |
| 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 |
| Cairo Aviation | Domestic and Europe | 1 |
| Euro Mediterranean Airlines | Domestic and Europe | 1 |
| Iberworld | Madrid1 | 2 |
| KoralBlue Airlines | Domestic and Europe | 1 |
| Lotus Air | Domestic and Europe | 1 |
| Midwest Airlines (Egypt) | Domestic and Europe | 1 |
| Petroleum Air Services | domestic flights and oil airstrips | 1 |
Note1: These flights make a stop en route to the listed destination. However the airlines do not have the right to transport passengers between Cairo and the en route stops.
- Due to capacity issues at the airport, all flights operated by EgyptAir to Jeddah and Medinah during the 2009 Hajj programme (November-December) will operate from Terminal 1. Outside this period flights will operate from Terminal 3
[edit] Cargo
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air France Cargo | Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Reunion, Tunis |
| Cargolux | Luxembourg, Hong Kong |
| EgyptAir Cargo | Châteauroux, Eldoret, Hahn, Khartoum, Kent-Manston, Nairobi, Ostend, Sharjah |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Addis Ababa, Dubai, Liège |
| Lufthansa Cargo | Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Sharjah |
| MK Airlines | Kent-Manston, Ostend |
| Qatar Airways Cargo | Doha |
| Royal Jordanian Cargo | Amman, Brussels |
| Tristar Air | Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, Kent-Manston, Tripoli |
| Turkish Airlines Cargo | Istanbul |
[edit] Image gallery
 Terminal 1 |
 A rendering of the new terminal 2 due to be completed in 2013 |
 The plan for the new terminal which will include a new check-in area, a new pier and a new apron |
 The new home of Egypt Air at Terminal 3 |
 The remote stands at Terminal 3 |
 The baggage claim area. |
Egypt Air planes at their new hub. |
 The departure hall. |
 Egypt Air planes at their new hub. |
[edit] Accidents and incidents
- On 19 March 1965, Vickers Viscount YI-ACU of Iraqi Airways was damaged beyond economic repair when it ran into a number of lamp standards after a hydraulic system failure.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ Cairo International Airport, official website
- ^ Airport information for HECA at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.. Source: DAFIF.
- ^ Airport information for CAI / HECA at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
- ^ "Fraport AG Wins Management Contract for Cairo Airport in Egypt". 2004-12-20. http://www.fraport.com/cms/press_center/dok/31/31283.fraport_ag_wins_management_contract_for.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Airport History". Cairo International Airport. http://www.cairo-airport.com/airport_history2.asp. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19650319-1. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
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