Latest news with #ElHefny
Al-Ahram Weekly
15 hours ago
- Business
- Al-Ahram Weekly
El-Sisi directs involving private sector in Hurghada Airport development by year-end - Urban & Transport
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi directed on Saturday that Hurghada International Airport be offered for private sector partnership by the end of 2025, signaling a push for modern development methods across the nation's aviation infrastructure. The president's directive came during a meeting in Alamein City with Civil Aviation Minister Sameh ElHefny and EgyptAir In-Flight Services Chairperson Soheir Abdullah, according to a presidential statement. The move is part of a broader strategy to involve international partnerships and private investment in developing Egyptian airports for efficiency and sustainability. This aligns with Egypt's Vision 2030, which aims to transform airports into advanced regional hubs that operate with the latest global operational systems and an attractive investment environment. During a recent interview with Ahram Online, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which serves as the technical advisor for this initiative, emphasized the importance of launching tenders for the first of 11 airports, including Hurghada, by the end of 2025. IFC Managing Director Makhtar Diop noted that this portfolio approach is designed to attract investment, mitigate transactional risks, and showcase Egypt's broader monetization strategy as both viable and scalable. Cairo Int'l Airport A core component of this strategy is the New Republic Air Gateway project at Cairo International Airport's Terminal 4. During the meeting, Minister ElHefny presented technical specifications for this new passenger terminal, designed to handle at least 30 million passengers. This expansion is expected to effectively double Cairo Airport's total annual capacity to over 60 million passengers, while maintaining stringent safety, security, and environmental standards. According to Diop, Cairo and the other targeted airports are critical gateways for Egypt's tourism, trade, and regional connectivity. He highlighted that modernizing infrastructure — from terminals to baggage systems — alongside expanding passenger capacity and implementing advanced technologies, such as automated check-ins, will directly support Egypt's economic recovery and global competitiveness. The civil aviation sector's comprehensive plan, reviewed during the meeting, includes significant upgrades to airport infrastructure, development of the aircraft fleet, enhancement of air navigation, and improvements in human resource capabilities. These efforts are geared towards boosting Egypt's tourism sector, with a national goal of attracting 30 million visitors annually. In the first quarter of 2025, arrivals reached 3.9 million, representing a 25 percent year-over-year increase. In 2024, 15.7 million tourists visited Egypt, an unprecedented number in the history of Egyptian tourism, marking a 6 percent increase over 2023. Private sector integration, int'l recognition ElHefny also detailed a national strategy, developed in collaboration with the IFC, to integrate the private sector into airport operations and development. This strategy, expected to be finalized by the end of summer 2025, seeks to enhance performance, improve operational efficiency, and elevate traveler service quality. Additionally, it aims to attract private investment and advanced operational expertise for 11 major airports, with the critical caveat that ownership of these vital assets will remain in public hands. "These airports are strategically located to serve both tourism hotspots like Luxor, Aswan, and Sharm El-Sheikh, as well as commercial hubs," Diop told Ahram Online. He explained that IFC will provide not only financing, but also technical and regulatory support to create a more investment-friendly climate and encourage global airport operators to engage through public-private partnerships. Airspace and traffic management Egyptian air traffic controllers have received international commendation for their efficient management of increased air traffic amid recent regional crises. Despite airspace closures in neighboring countries, Daily flights over Egyptian airspace surged to more than 1,600. International organizations, including Eurocontrol, ICAO, and IATA, have also praised their high performance, noting that safety and operational discipline were maintained. The meeting also discussed plans to restructure Egyptian airspace and upgrade radar and communication technologies. EgyptAir's significant achievements The meeting also highlighted EgyptAir's significant recent achievements. For the first time, the airline received the Best Airline Staff in Africa award for 2025 from global rating agency Skytrax at the Paris Air Show. EgyptAir also secured the awards for Best Cabin Crew in Africa and Best Economy Class Meals. Moreover, it was named Most Improved Airline in Africa for the second consecutive year. The minister also noted that EgyptAir has climbed 20 places to rank 68th globally among over 325 carriers. Discussions also covered EgyptAir's fleet renewal plan, which aims to reach 97 aircraft by 2028/2029, boosting its competitiveness and enhancing the travel experience. The meeting also reviewed efforts to upgrade EgyptAir's In-Flight Services, including infrastructure, equipment, staff training, ground services, and business class lounges, to ensure the highest comfort and service standards. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
CairoScene
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Egyptian Streetwear Label Zonta Debuts First-Ever Arabic Sneakers
Launching the footwear collection on the season finale of Shark Tank, Zonta walked away with quite the impressive deal. To anyone living in Cairo, the sight of Arabic word-art plastered on walls is as ubiquitous as it is beautiful. Yet what perhaps is unusual to encounter is Arabic on footwear, which is exactly the market gap Egyptian-born streetwear label Zonta sought to fill with the launch of their very first Arabic footwear collection, which debuted on the season finale of Shark Tank Egypt - and walked away with quite the impressive deal. Zonta's Drop 1.0 collection puts Arabic front and center, with sleek, minimalist sneakers. Words like Hob (love), Shaghaf (passion), and Fakhr (pride) are inscribed across the footwear—bold, unapologetic, and deeply rooted in Arab identity. Ahmed El Hefny and Sameh Radwan, Zonta's co-founders (and co-founders of e-commerce agency Amzolute), know how to scale brands. But with Zonta, they're carving out an entirely new lane. 'Not only are we pushing something new, we're creating an entirely new sub-genre of Arabic sneakers. This is not something a lot of brands can proudly claim, and that is our edge,' he tells SceneStyled. Merging his love for sneakers with a deep appreciation for Arab culture, El Hefny was clear on Zonta's direction from the start. 'When we launched a little over a year ago, I knew this is what I wanted to do, but I also knew there was going to be a big learning curve ahead of me.' That learning curve coincided with a pivotal moment—Zonta's appearance on Shark Tank Egypt. 'Shark Tank called right when we were reinventing ourselves and introducing the new Arabic line, and I said, 'It's funny you would reach out now.'' With its debut collection setting the stage, Zonta is just getting started. The goal? Merging Arab culture with premium streetwear and taking it global. 'We want to be next to Axel Arigato and all these big names at Harrods and Selfridges,' El Hefny says. 'We're not just targeting Arabs in the region, we're targeting Arab diaspora all over the world—we want to go global.' Of course, designing sneakers with Arabic script comes with cultural considerations. 'It's sensitive putting Arabic words on footwear; you can easily offend if you choose the wrong word,' he explains. 'So we went for positive and affirming words. No one is more passionate than an Arab—even habibi is the most popular word in Arabic. We chose words that represent our culture and push positive messages.' And the gamble paid off. On the Shark Tank season finale, Zonta secured a massive EGP 5 million deal for 15% equity from sharks Mohamed Farouk, Abdallah Sallam, and guest shark Noor Sweid. 'To say it went really well would be an understatement—we got five offers. It was a spicy episode,' El Hefny laughs.
CairoScene
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Egyptian Streetwear Label Zonta Debuts Arabic Calligraphy Sneakers
Launching the footwear collection on the season finale of Shark Tank, Zonta walked away with quite the impressive deal. To anyone living in Cairo, Arabic calligraphy is a sight as ubiquitous as it is beautiful. Yet what perhaps is unusual to encounter is Arabic calligraphy on footwear, which is exactly the market gap Egyptian streetwear label Zonta sought to fill with the launch of their very first Arabic calligraphy footwear collection, which debuted on the season finale of Shark Tank Egypt - and walked away with quite the impressive deal. Zonta's Drop 1.0 collection puts Arabic calligraphy front and center, blending old-school sneaker silhouettes with sleek, minimalist design. Words like Hob (love), Shaghaf (passion), and Habibi (beloved) are inscribed across the footwear—bold, unapologetic, and deeply rooted in Arab identity. Ahmed El Hefny, Zonta's founder (and co-founder of e-commerce agency Amzolute), knows how to scale brands. But with Zonta, he's carving out an entirely new lane. 'Not only are we pushing something new, we're creating an entirely new sub-genre of sneakers. This is not something a lot of brands can proudly claim, and that is our edge,' he tells SceneStyled. Merging his love for sneakers with a deep appreciation for Arabic culture, El Hefny was clear on Zonta's direction from the start. 'When we launched a little over a year ago, I knew this is what I wanted to do, but I also knew there was going to be a big learning curve ahead of me.' That learning curve coincided with a pivotal moment—Zonta's appearance on Shark Tank Egypt. 'Shark Tank called right when we were reinventing ourselves, and I said, 'It's funny you would reach out now.'' With its debut collection setting the stage, Zonta is just getting started. The goal? Merging Arabic heritage with premium streetwear and taking it global. 'We want to be next to Comme des Garçons and all these big names at Harrods and Selfridges,' El Hefny says. 'We're not just targeting Arabs in the region, we're targeting Arabs in the diaspora—we want to go global.' Of course, designing sneakers with Arabic script comes with cultural considerations. 'It's sensitive putting Arabic words on footwear; you can easily offend if you choose the wrong word,' he explains. 'So we went for positive and affirming words. No one is more passionate than an Arab—even habibi is the most popular word in Arabic. We chose words that represent our culture and push positive messages.' And the gamble paid off. On the Shark Tank season finale, Zonta secured a massive EGP 5 million deal for 15% equity from sharks Mohamed Farouk, Abdallah Sallam, and guest shark Noor Sweid. 'To say it went better than we expected would be an understatement—we got five offers. It was a spicy episode,' El Hefny laughs.
Al-Ahram Weekly
28-01-2025
- Business
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Air Cairo to expand fleet to 40 aircraft within 3 months: Aviation minister - Economy
Egyptian Minister of Civil Aviation Sameh ElHefny announced Sunday that Air Cairo, an Egyptian low-fare carrier, will expand its fleet to 40 aircraft within three months. The minister made his remarks during the Sunday 95th-anniversary celebration of Egyptian aviation. ElHefny said reaching 40 aircraft is a key part of ِAir Cairo's strategy to boost tourism from Arab and European countries and increase air traffic to Egypt. He added that the company would receive three aircraft in February and two others in March and April. The minister also highlighted Air Cairo's success story, revealing that despite the challenges posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical instability, which affected international tourism, the airline has doubled its fleet in recent years. EgyptAir's fleet modernization Similarly, EgyptAir is upgrading its fleet by leasing 18 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft and purchasing 10 Airbus A350-900 wide-body planes. The airline's accumulated losses decreased to EGP 16 billion by the end of FY2023/2024, significantly improving from EGP 30 billion in previous years. Despite global challenges, including delays in aircraft engine production, EgyptAir continues to focus on improving operational reliability. In October 2024, EgyptAir and Air Cairo signed a code-sharing agreement, expanding their networks and maximizing benefits for passengers. The move is part of a broader strategy to integrate the two carriers and offer travellers a wider range of destinations. Airport privatization According to Asharq Bloomberg, Egypt offered to privatize the management of 11 airports, excluding Cairo International Airport. This decision followed Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly's December 2024 announcement, which outlined plans to privatize airport management and involve public-private partnerships (PPPs) through a contract with the International Finance Corporation. This aligns with a broader strategy to attract private sector investment in the country's aviation industry. According to the government's plan for 2024/2025-2026/2027, Egypt aims to increase the capacity of its airports to 72.2 million passengers annually and expand EgyptAir's fleet to 97 aircraft, including six cargo planes. The goal is to receive 30 million tourists annually and 100 million passengers by 2030. The ongoing efforts are expected to strengthen Egypt's position as a regional and global logistics hub for civil aviation and support the country's tourism and investment growth. ElHefny also outlined plans to expand EgyptAir's fleet by 2029 significantly. However, he noted that this expansion could be delayed due to supply chain issues. Egypt was supposed to receive 12 aircraft, but it will only receive one in September. In addition, he emphasized that Egypt's civil aviation sector is undergoing a comprehensive modernization and digital transformation aimed at improving service quality, enhancing airport infrastructure, and increasing capacity. As part of Egypt's Vision 2030, the ministry focuses on improving performance efficiency and attracting investments while upholding the sector's highest safety and security standards. Modernizing air travel ElHefny said Egypt has an ambitious vision for developing and modernizing its airports to meet the growing travel demand and align with its expanding tourism and investment sectors. He asserted that the ministry remains committed to improving air navigation systems, redesigning Egypt's airspace, and planning flight routes to shorten travel times, boost air traffic capacity, and enhance the country's air services efficiency and flexibility. These efforts aim to reduce carbon emissions while maintaining the highest safety and security standards per international civil aviation regulations through infrastructure enhancements, technical upgrades, and airspace reorganization. This includes a strategic partnership with Orange Egypt to offer free Wi-Fi at Cairo International Airport and the introduction of interactive touchscreen displays and virtual assistant kiosks to enhance the passenger experience. The Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation aims to increase passenger traffic at Egyptian airports by raising capacity to 100 million passengers annually by 2030, compared to 66.2 million passengers in FY2023/2024. It also focuses on strengthening Cairo International Airport's position as a key hub for long-haul travel in Africa. Moreover, the holding company seeks to transform Egyptian airports into a sustainable global aviation centre that blends rich heritage with innovative services, making it the country's primary gateway to Africa. Last week, ElHefny also reviewed efforts to develop Egypt's airspace, including upgrading the radar network and outlining expansion plans to increase Cairo International Airport's capacity from 28 to 40 million passengers annually. Short link:
