Egypt reports wide interest in Hurghada airport privatisation

Egypt has reportedly received interest from 68 international companies and consortia to manage and operate Hurghada International Airport, the country’s second-busiest airport in terms of annual passenger traffic.

These companies have already collected the terms of reference for the qualification process, Daily News Egypt reported, quoting civil aviation minister Sameh El-Hefny.

Hurghada will serve as the pilot for the privatisation programme, conducted in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC). 

The results will be evaluated before being rolled out to other  airports, he said, adding that Egyptian airports are “sovereign assets and not for sale”.

In March 2025, the ministry engaged IFC to introduce public-private partnerships at 11 airports.

The privatisation initiative falls under the country’s asset monetisation programme, launched in June 2023. It aims to leverage private sector financing for airport upgrades and expansions without burdening the national budget.  

According to El-Hefny, the ministry is also planning to construct a fourth passenger terminal at Cairo International Airport as the national carrier EgyptAir goes in for expansion.

The airline intends to add 34 new aircraft to its fleet, bringing the total to 97 by 2030-31.

El-Hefny said that EgyptAir has reduced “losses from previous years by more than 50 percent” and aims to eliminate them over the next four years.

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