Rumors on Selling Egypt’s Airports Spread on Social Media

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during his recent visit to Borg El Arab Airport in Alexandria (Ministry of Aviation)
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during his recent visit to Borg El Arab Airport in Alexandria (Ministry of Aviation)
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Rumors on Selling Egypt’s Airports Spread on Social Media

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during his recent visit to Borg El Arab Airport in Alexandria (Ministry of Aviation)
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during his recent visit to Borg El Arab Airport in Alexandria (Ministry of Aviation)

Rumors spread on social media in Egypt amid claims that the country’s airports are being sold to foreign parties, prompting the cabinet to deny the reports on Saturday.
In an official statement on its Facebook page, Egypt’s government stressed that the goal is to “offer the management and operation of airports to the private sector.”
According to the Egyptian Council of Ministers, “Egyptian airports are fully owned by the state and subject to Egyptian sovereignty.”
It added that the state is implementing an integrated strategy based on raising the efficiency of airports and increasing their capacity, through a number of infrastructure development projects, as well as upgrading security systems and modernizing all security devices at Egyptian airports.
Additionally, the state is expanding flight networks by opening new markets and supporting low-cost aviation activities, the cabinet underlined in a statement.
Member of Parliament’s Tourism and Aviation Committee, MP Mohamed Taha Al-Khouly, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the government submitted a plan to Parliament last month to allow the private sector to provide some services inside airports.
This matter “will not happen randomly,” but within “an organized framework, and may require legal amendments regarding the controls regulating the private sector companies that will be present to provide some services at Egyptian airports,” he added.
According to the deputy, these services include receiving tourists, organizing the movement of taxis in the vicinity of airports, in addition to providing assistance services upon arrival, and other matters that do not directly or remotely affect Egyptian sovereignty over the airports.
Last month, the Central Bank of Egypt announced an increase in tourism sector revenues by 5.3 percent during the first 9 months of the 2023-2024 fiscal year, reaching $10.9 billion, compared to $10.3 billion in the same period of the previous year.
In 2023, Egypt received about 14.9 million tourists, an increase of 27 percent over 2022, according to a statement by the Egyptian Council of Ministers at the beginning of this year.

 



Saudi Arabia, Canada Discuss Smart Industrial Cities

The meetings held by the Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources with Canadian ministers are aimed at strengthening industrial and mining cooperation between the two countries. SPA
The meetings held by the Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources with Canadian ministers are aimed at strengthening industrial and mining cooperation between the two countries. SPA
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Saudi Arabia, Canada Discuss Smart Industrial Cities

The meetings held by the Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources with Canadian ministers are aimed at strengthening industrial and mining cooperation between the two countries. SPA
The meetings held by the Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources with Canadian ministers are aimed at strengthening industrial and mining cooperation between the two countries. SPA

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef has discussed with Canadian government ministers ways to bolster industrial and mining cooperation between the two countries, opportunities for developing industrial innovation, and building an effective partnership to establish smart industrial cities in the Kingdom by leveraging Canadian expertise.

During his meeting with Canadian Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne, and accompanied by National Industrial Development Center Chief Executive Saleh AlSulami, Alkhorayef underscored the Kingdom's commitment to benefiting from the applications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, to develop the industrial sector and create added value, while improving production efficiency in industrial facilities.

Meeting participants discussed enhancing cooperation in the field of industrial digitization, utilizing AI technologies to improve industrial processes, and exploring opportunities for collaboration in building smart industrial cities in the Kingdom, benefiting from Canadian advancements in digital infrastructure.

The two sides also discussed collaboration between the Kingdom and Canada in the field of innovation, including the partnership between the Saudi Ministry of Education and Metax, a Canadian research organization funded by the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Industry with a focus on providing joint research opportunities for graduate and doctoral students in both countries.

During a meeting with Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen, Alkhorayef discussed ways to enhance economic relations and non-oil trade between the two countries, given the fact that the Kingdom is the largest trading partner for Canada in the Middle East and North Africa. The ministers reviewed the role of industrial development globally in advancing communities, increasing their well-being, and improving individuals' living standards.

Alkhorayef and Canada's Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MIHR) executive director Ryan Montpellier discussed opportunities to benefit from council's expertise in workforce human capabilities development strategies in the mining sector.

The meetings held by the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources with Canadian ministers are part of his visit to Canada, aimed at strengthening industrial and mining cooperation between the two countries, exploring mutual opportunities in both sectors, and attracting foreign investments to the Kingdom.