Cairo International Airport

Cairo International Airport (CAI  ^IATA) is in Heliopolis, to the northeast of the city around 15 km from Cairo's city centre.

Cairo airport has frequent flights from other Egyptian cities, the Gulf states and Levant, and usually daily flights from the European and North African capitals. There are direct flights from Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Mumbai, New York, Washington D.C, Tokyo and Toronto but travel from the Far East or North America will usually involve a change.

The main operator is EgyptAir (the national carrier) and its Star Alliance partners Aegean, Air China, Asiana Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, ITA Airways, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss, Turkish Airlines.
SkyTeam is represented by Air France, China Eastern Airlines, KLM, Middle East Airlines, Saudia, and TAROM.
Oneworld by British Airways, Iberia, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, and Royal Jordanian.
Other Carriers include Aeroflot, Afriqiyah Airways, Air Algérie, Air Montenegro, Alexandria Airlines, AlMasria Universal Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, Fly Baghdad, Gulf Air, Hainan Airlines, Iraqi Airways, Jordan Aviation, Kuwait Airways, Libyan Airlines, Neos, Nesma Airlines, Nile Air, Nordwind Airlines, Oman Air, Petroleum Air, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, Rossiya Airlines, Saudia, SCAT Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Smartwings, Sudan Airways, SunExpress, Syrian Air, Tunisair, and Yemenia.
There are also budget carriers Air Arabia, Air Cairo, AJet, Eurowings, flyadeal, flynas, Jazeera Airways, Transavia, and Vueling.

The airport has three terminals. EgyptAir and all Star Alliance members (Lufthansa Group, Singapore Airlines, LOT, etc.) operate all flights to Terminal 3, which is integrated with Terminal 2 (British Airways, Air France, and some others) through an air bridge. Most other airlines arrive at Terminal 1, like Saudia (Terminal 1 Hall 2), and Sky Team, Oneworld, Emirates, and Etihad (Terminal 1 Hall 1). All terminals offer a reasonable variety of duty-free shops and restaurants. In Terminal 1 there are some duty-free shops opposite the gates, with more shops on the first floor. The lounges, a pub, McDonald's and coffee shops such as Starbucks are on the second floor. Terminal 3 has a central market place and food court, plus some shops and cafes along the concourses. There's not much open seating, as most seating is in the gate lounges which only open an hour before departure. This is okay when flights leave on time, but when there are delays the concourse becomes congested while lots of empty seats lie inaccessible beyond the lounge plate-glass.

Public buses to Midan Tahrir (read the warnings about the district) or Midan Ramses runs from the airport bus station, which is connected to the terminals by the free Shuttle Bus (see below). The 356 (٣٥٦) bus is running to both in 2025. The services definitely running in 2018 are the 111 (١١١, direction Shobra, passes by Midan Ramses), and the LE8. These run every 30 minutes and take 60–120 min depending on traffic. Buses 27 (٢٧) and 400 (٤٠٠) may also run.

Once you arrive at the airport bus terminal, look for a bus by explaining where you want to go; for the downtown terminal you can say "Abdel Moneim Riad", pronounced "Adbel Moneem Riad", and someone should direct you on to a bus.

Buses from downtown to the airport run from the bus terminal Abel Moneim Riad just north of the Egyptian Museum (under the highway bridge). If the stop's not obvious, ask for the airport or in Arabic the word is "matar" (مطار).

Scheduled buses no longer run directly from the airport to Alexandria or other delta cities. Either negotiate a taxi transfer or go downtown for onward transport.

White meter taxis are available at the terminals. Insist on using the meter. Do not accept a fixed price as this tends to be double the fare by meter. Report taxi drivers who refuse to use the meter to Airport Security or Tourist Police. Refuse to pay the "ticket" (airport parking fee) for the driver. If you are going to downtown Cairo, you may be able to share a taxi with other tourists or backpackers. Have small notes available, mostly the taxi driver will claim not to have any change, but they actually do have. Another option is to use transportation arranged by your hotel or hostel, though this service is often not complimentary.

Most Egyptians who can afford it use Uber taxis, as they have fixed rates. From the beginning of Al-Haram (Giza area around the pyramids) to the airport costs LE200-300, depending on the time and type of car (Jan 2023). Careem is also readily available, prices might be a bit cheaper than Uber, to downtown Cairo, cost was around LE150 (November 2023). inDrive is also available.

There are numerous limousine services. Pick-up points are in front of the terminals (curbside). The prices are fixed depending on the destination and the car category. Category A is luxury limousines (Mercedes-Benz E-Class), Category B are Micro Buses for up to 7 passengers and Category C are mid-sized cars (e.g. Mitsubishi Lancer). London Taxis are available from Sixt as a new Category D.

• Cairo Airport Shuttle Bus, 9 EL-Shaheed Sayed Zakaria St, Sq. 1216, ☏ +20 19970, [email protected]. 0:00-24:00. Microbus service. (updated Jun 2026)
• Sixt, ☏ +20 19670, fax: +20 2 4630 1000, [email protected]. Limousine service. (updated Jun 2026)

• Budget (Arrivals areas of Terminals 1 and 3).  (updated Jun 2026)
• Sixt (Arrivals areas of Terminals 1 and 3).  (updated Jun 2026)
• Avis (Terminal 3 Arrivals Area).  (updated Jun 2026)
• Europcar (Terminal 3 Arrivals Area).  (updated Jun 2026)
• Elwefak ElMasreya for Tourism (Terminal 3 Arrivals Area).  (updated Jun 2026)
• Adam for Car Rent.  (updated Jun 2026)

There is a planned metro Line 3 extension to the airport, but construction has not started as of Jan 2023.

When returning to the airport from downtown, allow at least two hours to get here, and 3 hours from Giza, as the roads can be very congested. The new airport road connects the airport with the intersection of the Ring Road and Suez Road and has no traffic jams. If you depart on Friday morning or mid-day, the trip to the airport will be quick, as roads are deserted while people go to the mosque for Friday prayers.

Upon arriving, you must pass through a security checkpoint before you can access the ticketing & check-in area. You'll need a printout of your itinerary or ticket to show the security staff here. After checking-in you will pass through a second checkpoint (including passport control) to get airside, then there's a third just before boarding your aircraft - only then can you restock on water. Allow plenty of time for all this, as lines can be long. There is no left-luggage room at the airport.

A free shuttle bus runs between the terminals and to the bus station every 15-30 minutes, 24 hours a day. At Terminal 3 its stop is at the arrival level on the second island at the end of the bus lane (turn right after the exit and cross the first lane). At Terminal 1 you must leave through the main exit and turn left to get to the station. The Shuttle Bus stops are at Hall 3 in front of the AirMall and at Hall 1 at the curbside. The bus stops are not marked. Sometimes you have to change buses at the bus station due to the driver's coffee break. Taxi drivers will try to lure you at the airport by misinforming you about the free shuttle bus, but if you go outside the terminal, you will find it.

• Cairo International Airport Museum (Terminal 2 & 3). Terminal 2 displays 304 artifacts from various areas of Egyptian culture over a 100-square-meter area, while Terminal 3 displays 59 artifacts, including a statue of an ancient Egyptian scribe from the Fifth Dynasty, over 150 square meters. The pieces date back to Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Coptic, Islamic, and modern times. USD 3 (or LE50), for foreign students USD 2, LE25 for Egyptians (from May 2021). (updated Jun 2026)

The airport offers a wide selection of dining options, including fast food joints, restaurants, and cafes.

Visitors are allowed to buy duty-free articles on arrival, up to 4 extra litres of alcohol. At the checkout, a customs official will check your passport and give approval for the purchase. You can be accompanied by the person picking you up. It's fine if you expect to consume what you buy, or treat friends, but there's sometimes a racket where the local person gets you to buy up to your limit on his behalf— he'll pay you fairly for the extra.

You should exchange some money in the airport — it is best to do this before going through customs. Get some change in the process (smaller than the usual LE200 notes), as taxi drivers and others will always claim to be unable to give change. ATMs for all major cards are available in the arrival halls. Visas are available before immigration, for US$30. When arriving at terminal 3, everybody immediately starts queuing to buy visas from one of the bank counters on the left side. It seems these banks often don't accept cards or even Egyptian pounds (LE), which is problematic if you arrive with limited hard currency. There's an ATM on the other side of the area in this case, as well as an exchange office that also sells visas, and accepts Egyptian pounds as currency. So just go there to buy the visa, ignoring the bank counters, and avoiding the queues.

Getting to downtown Cairo is often a pain.

• Restrooms are available.
• All airport terminals have a pharmacy.

The airport is on the north-eastern outskirts of the city at Heliopolis. If you want to spend the night at the airport, there are three hotels available:

• 30.1211731.401991 Novotel Cairo Airport, Po Box 8 Cairo Airport (next to airport), ☏ +20 111 111 3822, fax: +20 2 22693530, [email protected]. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. Closest hotel to the airport. The lobby and public areas have been given a facelift and are now bright, modern, and airy, but the rooms still look and feel like a cheap motel with lumpy beds, and noisy air conditioning. Adequate for a one-night transit, but you wouldn't want to spend your whole vacation here. Free half-hourly shuttle bus from/to airport. US$90.  (updated Jun 2026)
• 30.1215731.401092 Le Passage (formerly Iberotel), Cairo Intl Airport road (Heliopolis), ☏ +20 2 22670099, +20 1 00 2176900 - 07, fax: +20 2 24180761, [email protected].  
• 30.1137231.395883 Le Meridien Cairo Airport (Terminal 3), ☏ +20-2-22659680, fax: +20 2-22659701.  

There are other lodging options in nearby Heliopolis.