The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Featured image via Reuters

Cairo International Airport is no longer the only airport in Cairo, or greater Cairo as one may call it. With the capital expanding further to its outskirts, places such as Sheikh Zayed may become a far-off destination from the airport. And with the new administrative capital taking pace, New Cairo residents might also have another choice for an airport.

There has been a long-term plan to turn the area around the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) into a tourist hub. GEM is already in close vicinity to the Pyramids of Giza, and the Sphinx International Airport has been taking shape in recent months.

Sphinx International Airport is situated in the western side of Cairo, closer to Sheikh Zayed than Cairo International Airport, and very close to the Pyramids and the GEM, with a plan in mind to make it the first-choice airport for tourists looking for a quick dose of Pharaonic history without spending much time in Cairo. Trial operations at the airport began this weekend.

It is expected that Sphinx International Airport will be operating to its full extent in 2020, coinciding with the scheduled completion of the Grand Egyptian Museum. This airport will be good news for residents of Al Haram, Giza, 6 October City and Sheikh Zayed, as well as Faiyum and Beni Suef.

On the eastern side of Cairo, construction in the new administrative capital has continued to gain pace in the past few months. In order to make things easier for its residents, a new airport in the new capital is set to be inaugurated this April, as per the statement of Younes Al Masry, Minister of Aviation. This should also serve residents of New Cairo as well as areas around Shorouk City.

In these upcoming couple of years, we’re expecting to see a much larger Cairo, with expansion to the  east and west. Could we indeed live in a much less crowded Cairo in the years to come? We’ll have to wait and see.