Cairo International Airport
IATA: CAI · ICAO: HECA · Cairo, Egypt · Last updated: April 2026
Current Status
Cairo International Airport is fully operational and serves as one of the largest aviation hubs in Africa and the Middle East. With three terminals and three runways, HECA handles over 20 million passengers annually and is the primary hub for EgyptAir. The airport sits within the HECC Cairo FIR, which controls a vast swathe of airspace connecting Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Cairo's strategic position makes it a critical routing node. When Middle Eastern airspace closes — particularly the OJAC, ORBB, or OLBB FIRs — many east-west flights route through Egyptian airspace as an alternative. This has become increasingly common since 2024, with Cairo FIR handling significantly more overflight traffic during regional disruptions.
The primary operational concern is GPS spoofing on eastern approaches. Aircraft arriving from the Sinai direction regularly report position anomalies attributed to Israeli defensive spoofing and residual interference from the Gaza conflict zone. Western and northern approaches to Cairo are generally unaffected.
Key Risks
Aircraft arriving via Sinai waypoints report intermittent GPS position errors. The spoofing corridor extends from the Israel-Egypt border westward, affecting flights at lower altitudes on approach. Crews are advised to cross-check with IRS and conventional nav aids.
Ongoing security operations in northern Sinai maintain permanent restricted zones. Military activity and counter-terrorism operations affect flight routing in the eastern portion of the HECC FIR, requiring traffic to follow designated corridors.
Following the October 2015 Metrojet incident over Sinai, in which 224 lives were lost, Egypt implemented enhanced aviation security protocols. Russian tourist flights to Egypt were suspended for years and have only partially resumed with additional screening requirements.
During multi-FIR closure events, Cairo absorbs diverted traffic and rerouted overflights simultaneously. ATC workload increases significantly, and holding patterns can extend during peak disruption periods.
Recent Events
GPS interference reports increased on eastern approaches during heightened regional tensions. Egyptian authorities issued updated NOTAMs advising ILS-only approaches from the east.
HECC FIR handled record overflight traffic during the Gulf 12-FIR shutdown. Cairo ATC managed increased workload without significant delays to airport operations.
EgyptAir expanded several European routes as carriers sought stable Middle East gateways. CAI passenger traffic increased 12% year-over-year.
Egypt maintained open airspace during the Iran-Israel exchange while neighboring FIRs closed. HECC FIR served as primary transit corridor for rerouted traffic.
Airlines Operating
EgyptAir (primary hub), Nile Air, Air Cairo, Lufthansa, British Airways, Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, and numerous regional and charter carriers. Cairo serves as a key connecting point between European and African networks.
The airport has seen growth in transit traffic as airlines use Cairo as an alternative connecting hub when Beirut or Amman capacity is constrained.
Approach & Navigation
CAI has ILS capability on its primary runways (05C/23C and 05R/23L). VOR/DME approaches are available as backups. The airport elevation is 382 feet (116 m) with flat desert terrain surrounding all approach paths, which simplifies terrain avoidance even during GPS degradation events.
Approaches from the east (via Sinai) are most affected by GPS interference. Crews operating from this direction should plan for conventional navigation and brief ILS approaches as primary. Western and northern arrivals are typically unaffected by GPS issues.
Related
This page provides publicly available information about airport conditions. Always consult official sources (ICAO, EASA, FAA) and current NOTAMs for operational decisions.