FROM MAGAZINE: In constant pursuit of a world class standard

Only after several rounds of negotiations and security inspections, the first flight from Russia touched Cairo International Airport ending more than two and a half years of ban and reigniting hopes of boosting Egypt's recovering tourism and trade sector. As the world regains confidence in the country, the airport will have to ensure world class facilities for its customers, Shreya Bhattacharya reports.

When millions of passengers and tonnes of cargo make way through a particular pit stop, strategically vital because of its location, it indeed becomes a boon for airports in the region. So is the case of Cairo International Airport, whose geostrategic location at the crossroads of Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Gulf, makes it an important hub of international trade. The region has seen a surge in perishables exports especially going to the European Union (EU), while most of the Egyptian imported electronics are from Asia along with pharmaceuticals and garments from the EU. The region is not only a major cargo hub but is an attractive tourist destination making tourism one of the leading sources of income, crucial to Egypt’s economy. Although, the tourism sector has been struggling since the 2011 Egyptian revolution that has brought down the number of tourists coming to the country, a recent report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) reveals that Egypt has actually emerged to be one of the world’s fastest-growing destinations for international tourists in 2017.

All this makes this airport currently the second busiest in Africa after OR Tambo in Johannesburg. However, in order to handle such huge passenger and cargo traffic, the airport has to invest in upgrading its infrastructure from time to time. In its bid to ensure faster border crossings for millions of travelers, while ensuring rigorous security checking of passports and other identity credentials, the airport is set to install Gemalto's new automated document readers that will facilitate faster processing.

"Cairo International Airport is Egypt's most important gateway for business visitors, tourists and citizens returning home," says Magdy Ishak, chairman of Cairo Airport Co. "Investment in Gemalto's highly efficient document readers demonstrates our commitment to both enhancing the traveler experience and protecting Egypt against ID fraud."

The technology is likely to ease the intense pressure on authorities to reduce queues at border control and strengthen protection against threats such as illegal immigration, as the airport continues to handle close to 15 million passengers every year.

Meanwhile on the cargo front, the airport understands it’s crucial role and has been investing in its cargo facilities.

The airport has been closely working with the national carrier EgyptAir, which inaugurated its first cargo terminal named Cairo Cargo Village back in 1981. Since then Egypt Air established a full cargo operation at Cairo Airport with a terminal that could handle all types of cargo and dedicated 2/3 of the available space to import and 1/3 to export. The terminal was also equipped with a cold room, strong room for valuable items, chemical materials store and a store for radioactive materials. A veterinary center located just outside the airport customs area was for handling of live animal. All perishable cargo transit through the perishable terminal.

Meanwhile, the Horticultural Export Improvement Association (HEIA), an association founded in order to stimulate the exports of perishables to Europe and the Middle East, later initiated the construction of the first dedicated perishable terminal on Cairo Airport. The perishable terminal was a major asset for closed cool chain provisioning. It has stimulated the export volume by decreasing the amount of lost perishables due to exposure to high temperatures outside. The terminal is funded by the Egyptian government and US Agency for International development (USAID).

Thus, with the national carrier and the Egyptian authorities’ continuous emphasis on developing the airport as a hub, especially for the Middle East and Africa, the airport facilities are in constant development. The airport’s ambitious Cairo Cargo City (CCC) is poised to provide state of the art facilities to support the growth in cargo traffic through the airport. Many cargo players, currently operating in the region, are in fact benefitting from the available facilities.

“Emirates SkyCargo is currently operating out of the new cargo terminal at Cairo airport. This terminal has updated and technologically advanced operational and security facilities which allows us to maintain the high standards of our service levels. Major exports from Cairo include fruits and vegetables. The proximity between terminal and the aircraft parking bays has also been possible for us to reduce the ground transfer times for cargo between the terminal and the aircraft, which is vital to maintain perishable product's integrity throughout the transportation cycle. Imports into Cairo consists mainly of a mix of high value commodities. The facilities available at Cairo ensures the security of goods in special storage areas, with constant monitoring and surveillance,” informs Khalid Al Hinai, Emirates Vice President, Cargo Commercial, Africa.

For the Financial Year 2017/18, Emirates SkyCargo transported over 32,500 tonnes of cargo including both exports of close to 18,750 tonnes and imports of 13,750 tonnes. Close to 85 percent of the commodities exported from Cairo are fruits and vegetables, Al Hinai further informed.

Presently, Cairo Airport Cargo Company (CACC) that calls itself a general handling agent, is providing premium services to prominent airlines like Emirates SkyCargo, Lufthansa Cargo AG, Qatar Airways Cargo, Etihad Cargo, Oman Air Cargo, Saudia Cargo, as well as various charter companies.

With its cargo handling facilities and warehousing services, the CACC took the decision of undertaking the significant project of establishing the Cairo Cargo City. A state-of-the-art cargo terminal on the airside, inaugurated in 2016, the CCC is a definite added value to the air cargo industry in Egypt. Located 500 metres away from the ramp side, CACC started this first off-airport terminal within Cairo International Airport with a dedicated apron gate exclusively serving the carriers handled by it.

Extending over an area of 150,000 square metre and being directly located on Cairo International Airport’s airside, CCC has taken the logistics market in Egypt to a new era of advanced logistics operations. In its bid to further enhancing the air cargo industry, CACC has offered to lease its former terminal – with an area of 9,600 square metre – to forwarding agents, for the purpose of promoting consolidation & deconsolidation, as well enhancing ready-for-carriage concept.

Meanwhile, realising the growing complexity and importance of temperature sensitive pharma supply chains that require delicate handling, CACC has upgraded its temperature-controlled terminals to reliable storage & handling facilities for pharmaceuticals & healthcare products. The upgradations have been acknowledged by IATA. In 2017, CACC Cargo Facilities were the first in Africa and the second in the Middle East to be awarded the CEIV Pharma certificate.

In 2018, IATA awarded CACC the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) Registration, following the successful completion of a comprehensive audit of ground-handling operations.

It is, however, important to note that while these measures will give the added push to the air cargo industry of the region, political and economic stability would have a major influence on the future of international trade. A peaceful and politically stable economy would ensure that the advanced aviation infrastructure is optimally utilised to ensure a profitable passenger and air cargo business in the region.