Cairo Airport New Access Road - and Toll Stations Everywhere - Terminal 3 opened

Been awhile since travelling to airport, but had to last week. One excursion to Terminal 1 and one to Terminal 2. I travel from Maadi and take ring road and knew about new access road, but surprised many did not.. On ring road continue past JW Marriott to Exit 15, down road just short way. Don't take first exit or you will end up in Suez, but second one which circles back towards Heliopolis. You will pass a military check point only few hundred meters, then see a sign saying Cairo Airport. Now don't be put off by fact from a distance it looks like it is closed with police barriers on both outside lanes, leaving only middle lane open and a good sized road bump. Just continue onto a very nice new highway. No traffic and as I was only car on road early hours, I was a bit nervous but it was great.. Don't know if pic below is any help or not.

Anyway continue along for 6 km (speed limit 60 km/hr) and you will join up with older access road from autostrade.

Click on pics to enlarge.


There is new toll booth very quickly down the road. The further down another one you need to pay to exit - keep receipt they give you as your not finished yet.

If going to Terminal 2 suggest you go to Shuttle Bus Parking an take the bus. Hassle free way to go. But, where is shuttle bus parking one asks if unknown (like me). You will come to a traffic circle with first road to right as underpass saying terminal 2 and 3. (I took this first time and wandered around entire airport completely lost and eventually found Shuttle Bus Parking from backway - do not do this). Shuttle bus parking is next road to right - not really too obvious with toll booth so show receipt.

I have marked this in pic below.

If going to Terminal one go around 1st circle 270 degrees with sign saying Terminal 1. I usually continue till next intersection/circle and turn right past Movenpick to next toll both. Show your receipt again. Continue and turn left at "T" intersection. Best place to park if going to Hall 3 arrivals is just up from Airport Mall. Look for little access road as not obvious. Very short walk to Hall 3. If going to Departure Hall 1, bear left at airport mall. It is pandemonium at drop off area so if not much luggage continue and turn left into parking. When exiting show your receipt you already paid once again.

When leaving go towards Autostrade route and watch carefully down the road as there is a new exit with right lane with a barrier across. Looks closed but open and takes you back to ring road directly.

I'm sure it will all get better eventually. Google Earth as yet does not have new terminal 3 photos.


As a update Terminal 3 is now open with flights being transferred from Terminals 1 and 2. News paper article told the story about an elderly Egyptian gentleman, who was flying Egypt Air to JFK, was dropped off an wrong terminals 2 days in a row. A pilot saw the man sitting down weeping and took him to terminal 3. Here is copy of an article about flight transfers. I assume there will be shuttle buses to new Terminal but I did not see any on May 4th - but then I was only looking for the Terminal 2 bus.

Link to article below

Terminal 3 Promotion video

Terminal 3 -

Given projected growth, and the limited ability to expand Terminal 2, the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation began construction of Terminal 3. The terminal was officially inaugurated by the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday 18^th December, 2008 and opened for commercial operations on 27 April 2009. The facility is twice as large as the current two terminal buildings combined, with the capacity to handle 11 million passengers annually once the first phase is completed. It is located adjacent to Terminal 2, and the two terminals will initially be connected by a bridge. Access roads have already been redesigned, and the parking lots relocated.

With its hub at the airport EgyptAir's operations will be overhauled once it fully tranfers all its operations (international and domestic) into the state of the art terminal by 15 June 2009. To implement the Star Alliance “Move Under One Roof” concept all alliance members serving the airport will relocate to the terminal.

The transfer of operations at the terminal is taking place in several phases with the first phase occuring on 27th April 2009 with the inauguration of the first commercial flight from the terminal - EgyptAir flight MS985 from Cairo to New York JFK. EgyptAir Express (EgyptAir's domestic subsidiary) will move all operations to the new building first followed by EgyptAir's own domestic flights, then its international operations and finally those of Star Alliance members by May 2009. See below for a detailed breakdown of each phase:

EgyptAir and EgyptAir Express phased transfer into the new terminal:

• USA Flights
  • 27APR09: JFK
• Domestic (Flights Egypt)
  • 25MAY09: ABS, ALY, ASW, HRG, LXR, RMF, SSH
  • 27MAY09: ATZ
  • 04JUN09: MUH
• International Flights (except USA)
  • 15JUN09: ALG, AMM, ATH, AUH, BAH, BCN, BEY, BKK, BOM, BRU, CAN, CDG, CMN, CTA, DAM, DME, DMM, DOH, DXB, FCO, FRA, GVA, IST, JED, JNB, KAN, KRT, KUL, KWI, LCA, LHR, MAD, MCT, MED, MUC, MXP, RUH, SAH, SHJ, TIP, VIE,
  • 16JUN09: ACC, ADD, ALP, DAR, DUS, EBB, LOS, NBO, SXF, NRT, YUL
  • 17JUN09: AMS, ASM, BEN, LIS, PEK, TUN
  • 18JUN09: MLA, KIX

Other Star Alliance carriers' transfer into Terminal 3:

• 04MAY09: Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa and Swiss International (confirmed)
  
• TBD: bmi, Singapore Airlines and Turkish Airlines
  

Non-Star Alliance carrier(s) transfer into Terminal 3:

• TBD: Aegean Airlines
  

As an interim measure other non-Star Alliance carriers operating from Terminal 2 will briefly relocate to Terminal 3 in 2009 while the former terminal is renovated.

The new terminal includes:

• Terminal 3 comprises a main building with two symmetrical concourses, or "wings," and totals 211,000 m2 in floor area with the ancillary services. The structures are unified with each other as well as the existing terminal 2 via skywalk bridges.

• The design will help EgyptAir and its Star Alliance partners to reduce transfer time between flights to just 45 minutes, regardless of whether the transfers are domestic, international, or a mix of the two and with different Alliance partners.

• The terminal is equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technology including self-service kiosks (CUSS) in the check-in hall, biometric immigration and fully automated baggage-handling system with integrated online screening. This is in addition to information kiosks, strategically placed throughout the building. Thus, the New IT system will ensure an efficient and cost-effective operation

• Terminal 3 will revolutionalize duty-free shopping in Egypt. With close to 4,000 m2 of retail space, the shops offer passengers both popular international brands and introduce exclusive brands new to the Egyptian. The new Terminal will also include food and beverage areas with local and international brands

• The Info-Kiosk will provide the user with access to a wide range of different information and information sources such as frequently asked questions, telephone directories, local accommodation, transportation, business facilities, rent a car, conference facilities, information on Retail and F&B facilities on airport , an airport map, parking, and links to most important web sites. All this will be in the form of a touch screen technology that can easily be understood by travelers as well as the “Meeters and Greeters”.

• Two piers of extendable capacity and gates facilities serving domestic and international traffic, handled through contact and remote. The main building and the piers are connected by concourses. Two of the gates will be equipped to handle the Airbus A380 aircraft. Provisions for a third pier are currently in the planning stages.

• Terminal 3 has 23 gates (2 gates for the A380), 26 passport control desks at check-in and 28 passport control desks at check-out, 54 aircraft parking places, 7 baggage carousels, 110 Check-in desks and 160 elevators, moving walkways and escalators.

• Land side works including bridges and fly-over serving the traffic to and from the terminal building, surface car park areas (multi-story parking garage capable of holding more than 3,000 cars), a new access road connecting the airport with the Autostrad road(Cairo ring road) and upgrading the access road.