EGYPT. Cairo Airport Company (CAC) has opened the new Terminal 2 at Cairo International Airport, though most of the commercial offer, including duty free shops, has yet to be completed.
To date just two airlines – Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways – are operating from the terminal, with two flights a day to Kuwait City, CAC confirmed. The renovation project will increase T2 capacity from three million to 7.5 million passengers annually. It will eventually handle SkyTeam, OneWorld and Gulf carriers.
The airport company said that Egyptair Duty Free Shops has opened one small store in departures and another in arrivals, with the full duty free offer – delayed due to what it called “construction issues” – expected to open in around eight weeks.
As reported, the terminal will house three duty free concessionaires (Egyptair Duty Free Shops, Cairo Airport Duty Free and Dufry), speciality store space for IDF Trading & Agencies and a substantial food & drinks contract for SSP.
T2 was closed in April 2010 for a US$400 million renovation, which began in 2012. The eventual full reopening will feature around 22,000sq m of commercial space within the 234,000sq m building.
The duty free concessions run for five years, CAC confirmed to us last year. Dufry was allocated 2,964sq m of space, including 2,252sq m in airside departures and 712sq m in landside arrivals. Egyptair Duty Free Shops will manage 1,255sq m of space, with 755sq m in airside departures and 500sq m in arrivals. Cairo Airport Duty Free (a division of The Chalhoub Group) will run 600sq m of space, all in departures.
In addition, Cairo-based travel retailer and distributor IDF Trading & Agencies will manage a 137sq m speciality store featuring luxury brands.
In F&B, SSP was awarded 600sq m of space in a new Food Village. Among the airside brand highlights will be a 120sq m Starbucks unit, a 150sq m McDonald’s restaurant and a 120sq m Segafredo café.
Background
Cairo Airport Terminal 2 was inaugurated in 1986, serving primarily European, Gulf and East Asian airlines. The terminal was closed in April 2010 for complete renovation, with the project starting in 2012. The architecture of the original building limited the opportunities for further expansion, prompting a major structural overhaul at an estimated cost of US$400 million. This was supported by a US$387 million loan from the World Bank.
