Egypt has opened a new international airport-The Capital International Airport on a one-month trial basis. The new Airport is located at around 70 km (44 miles) to the east of Cairo and will reportedly relieve traffic congestion in the Cairo International Airport. The facility will service the new Capital city which is expected to become functional from mid-2020. Another airport, near the Giza Pyramids west of Cairo, and the Sphinx International Airport, also opened in January. Aviation Minister Younis Al-Masry told media at a ceremony that“ The importance of the Capital Airport is that it partially eases the pressure on Cairo International Airport and Sphinx Airport,” which will act as a new outlet for Cairo particularly. The new airports, built at opposite ends of Cairo, are expected to boost tourism, a key revenue-earning sector for Egypt. Tourism sector took a massive hit following the political turmoil and security problems that followed the “Arab Spring” civil unrest of 2011. The sector has shown signs of recovery and the new infrastructure is expected to give it further uplift.
While the Capital International Airport will service areas east of Cairo, the Sphinx International Airport will facilitate access to the west, where the new Grand Egyptian Museum is scheduled to open next year. New Monuments are also being constructed in different parts of Egypt to further uplift its tourist attractions. In January 2019, President Sisi inaugurated the largest cathedral in the Middle East region, called “The Nativity of Christ” in the New Administrative Capital (NAC) and also a huge mosque second in size to the Great Mosque of Mecca in Saudi Arabia
The capital Cairo on the Nile had become traffic-clogged and overcrowded with a population of more than 20 million people. Construction activity of the new capital is going full steam. Hundreds of workers are employed to build the core areas of the new capital city which will be the seat of Egypt’s government..
