"airport is plain and very dirty"
Jeremy Boyes (United States)
✅ Trip Verified | I can not say enough bad things about this airport. I’ll start with the worst, the airport staff. They take luggage out of your hand without asking and pester you for tips for transporting it 2 meters to the x-ray machine when I’m perfectly capable of doing it myself. Security is the worst! I came for a parachuting event and brought my parachute as hand luggage. It is both safe and permissible to do so, and I have never had problems at any other airport. I had the proper documentation and permission to do so. They were unbelievably ignorant, extremely rude, and not willing to listen to you. My gear was extremely expensive and the reason I carry it on is to protect it because it can’t be fully reimbursed through airline if lost. Not only did they force me to check it in after a long argument but they did not allow me to wrap it in plastic to protect my very expensive gear. There is a huge chance of my gear being damaged, thrown around and dirty! Due to the fact that my safety handles could have been dislodged I’m going to have to get it professionally inspected and my reserve parachute repacked before using again. The airport is plain and very dirty, the food horrible. A lot of the airport smelt like cigarette smoke. I bought two unreasonably expensive muffins and they were hard as a rock and completely stale. Disgusting. Then I tried the pizza, the worst pizza I have ever had. Over priced and tastes horrible. Shame because outside of the airport I enjoyed Cairo so much! This airport is the sole reason I probably won’t ever return to Egypt.
Experience At Airport | Arrival and Departure |
Date Visit | May 2018 |
Type Of Traveller | Solo Leisure |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Seating | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | 12345 |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Wifi Connectivity | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | no |
"The airport is a pain!"
Karim Ragab (Egypt)
✅ Trip Verified | The airport is a pain! While the infrastructure is not bad, service and cleanliness are appalling. I fly a lot and dread it every time I need to go through Cairo Airport. Security staff is not organized and makes a mess even out of the shortest queue. The lounges are low quality in terms of food, cleanliness, and facilities. The entire process is a pain to go through. This becomes even more apparent when comparing the airport to the one on the other end of the flight. I really hope that someone puts pressure on the airport and also on Egyptair for that matter to fix their issues.
Experience At Airport | Departure Only |
Date Visit | April 2018 |
Type Of Traveller | Business |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Seating | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | 12345 |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | no |
"nightmare of an airport"
4 reviews S Andrews (Sweden)
✅ Verified Review | Where to start, this is possibly the worst airport ever on this planet? I have been living in Egypt for two years, and this was my weekly nightmare when coming in and out for a business trip. People everywhere try to take your luggage from you, starting from outside the terminal. To enter you need to queue in the middle of the street, where tens of people try to push forward, and bored police people ask to see your passport and then go trough the pages, of course not checking anything. Then you queue again to screen your luggage and all the suitcases are pushed on top of each other while you need to remove your shoes in a super dirty floor to pass by a non attached metal detector where you get the first of the many pat down. Does not matter if you have phone, wallets etc the police person will look at your passport and want to see a print of your itinerary or reservation. Digital does not count apart if you do not convince them. They will sometimes ask if you have money as there is a limit of cash that can exported. Finished this you need to queue for the boarding pass and fill in a forms that none will ever read. Another queue at passport control and after you get a stamp another police guy will check that you have been stamped. The airport is then dirty, with filthy bathrooms, and everything smells of smoke of cigarettes. Lounges are the worst as well and the food is expensive and dirty. No place to seat and usually very cold inside. Finally another queue at the gate, where there is another luggage control where people working there do not know any rules about security. Sometimes they try to take batteries off you, other times there is something else. You just smile at them and usually everyone passes. The metal detector is not really working, as they will do anyway a pat down to each passenger. Of course remove your shoes again in a even dirtier floor. When you finally make it on the plane they will check again your boarding pass if travelling with EgyptAir. And sometimes another police will check again your stamp on the passport, why not? Arriving is not nicer either. The first thing I remember was the smell of cigarettes when you go into the terminal. Then you need to buy a 25 USD sticker, and be prepared to have it in cash and do not expect change, unless you want to be fooled. A colleague of ours, once, paid 60 USD. Then you queue for the stamp, another police will check again your stamp, get your luggage and queue again for customs guys that look at all the pages of your passport (or pretend to), pretend to know what you have by touching the exterior of your suitcase and raising it. Finally you are out and hordes of taxi drivers will try to take your luggage from you by force or lure you with some "great offer" or "limouisine". If you stay at a hotel that offers it, organize a meet and greet and then maybe finally leave this nightmare of an airport.
Experience At Airport | Arrival and Departure |
Date Visit | February 2017 |
Type Of Traveller | Business |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Seating | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | 12345 |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Wifi Connectivity | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | no |
"airport has deteriorated tremendously"
R Kitts (Egypt)
✅ Verified Review | The airport has deteriorated tremendously over the past years. Security checks take a long time, bathrooms are very dirty, the food is low quality (but still expensive!), and staff are not friendly. This is a real pity as the airport had been managed very well at some point.
Experience At Airport | Departure Only |
Date Visit | July 2017 |
Type Of Traveller | Business |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Seating | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | 12345 |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Wifi Connectivity | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | no |
"a horrible experience"
John Makee (Australia)
❎ Unverified | I have been to more than 25 airports worldwide and Cairo has by far been the worst experience I have ever had. Immigration officers are extremely rude and unapologetic. Workers are tricky. They always expect tips. It is a nightmare and a horrible experience to travel through.
Experience At Airport | Transit |
Date Visit | May 2017 |
Type Of Traveller | Solo Leisure |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Seating | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | 12345 |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Wifi Connectivity | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | no |
"cannot recommend Cairo airport"
H Brockmann (Egypt)
✅ Verified Review | As a frequent traveller, I cannot recommend Cairo airport. Confusing at the parking, poor directional signage. Harassment from vendors, taxi drivers and luggage assistants. First airport I've had to pay for using a trolley. Chaos at the first security check. Dirty floors and / or carpets and you have to remove your shoes for screening. Impolite officers and not familiar with safety standards and rules. Messy check in, long queues and too much interference. Local passengers are waved in front, jumping queues. Passport control time consuming. Duty free poor selection. Restaurants over priced and very poor food quality and service standards. Lounges are dirty. Very poor standard toilets and dirty. Disgraceful smoking areas. This airport has many issues just need someone to take initiative to solve the huzzle around travelling, apply a service attitude, price value for restaurants. Clean bathrooms, proper employee behavior. It's a shame with all the issues of shortage of holiday makers that safety issues have been solved, however the first and last impression for the sadly few visitors are not. Please do something it's in the airport's best interest.
Experience At Airport | Departure Only |
Date Visit | April 2017 |
Type Of Traveller | Solo Leisure |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Seating | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | 12345 |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Wifi Connectivity | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | no |
"totally useless security personnel"
A Johnson (Egypt)
✅ Verified Review | Very promising new Terminal 2, even has air bridges. Unfortunately they have not updated the rude, ignorant and totally useless security personnel. We live in the vain hope that something positive happens in future. In the meantime just grit your teeth and prepare for a couple of hours wishing you had taken Valium.
Experience At Airport | Departure Only |
Date Visit | March 2017 |
Type Of Traveller | Business |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Seating | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | 12345 |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | no |
"the staff inside are very friendly"
Ahmed Atef (United Arab Emirates)
It is a nice airport especially terminal 3 the newest one. I am a member of Egypt plus and they gave me access to the VIP lounge. Area and entertainment is excellent, I enjoyed the 3 hours spent inside. Cleanliness is okay and the staff inside are very friendly. Price of service is okay.
Experience At Airport | Arrival and Departure |
Date Visit | September 2016 |
Type Of Traveller | Solo Leisure |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Seating | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | 12345 |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Wifi Connectivity | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | yes |
"generally not a nice airport"
Ian Phillips (Canada)
Arrived at Terminal 1. Luckily I had a service meet me. No one in front of me at the bank to get the visa. A few lines for immigration that moved well. No problems with immigration. Luggage fairly prompt. Departure Term 1. Metal detector at entrance, before check-in at gate and even frisked on entering plane. Check-in was very fast. No real line at immigration. Departure gate area is small and not user friendly. Only saw one place to eat. People sitting everywhere. You can't get into gate until an hour before your flight. Note - walk all the way to end of the corridor and there is a seating area on your right. One of the worst places to wait for your plane. Now Term 3 is quite different my rating is for Term 1 but Term 3 is wide open. Lots of seating (upstairs) til you go down to the lower level. New airport and bus to planes? Generally not a nice airport.
Experience At Airport | Arrival and Departure |
Date Visit | October 2016 |
Type Of Traveller | Solo Leisure |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Seating | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | 12345 |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | no |
"it hasn't improved in 10 years"
N Turnbull (Australia)
Probably one of the worst airports I have been to. It hasn't improved in 10 years. The arrivals terminal is poorly signed and gives no information on how and where to buy an entry visa. Taxi drivers are permitted to harass you before you even have passed customs. On departure it is not much better, long queues to check in, to pass through immigration and to board the flight. was lucky enough to be told two completely different things about 10 seconds apart when boarding, just held everyone up even longer.
Experience At Airport | Arrival and Departure |
Date Visit | November 2016 |
Type Of Traveller | Solo Leisure |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Seating | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | 12345 |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Wifi Connectivity | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | no |