Africa's busiest airport doubling 30m passenger capacity with massive £3.2billion upgrade

Africa's "busiest" airport is undergoing a massive multi-billion-pound overhaul that will further expand its capacity. Cairo International Airport (CAI) is a major international flight hub serving the Egyptian capital and its metropolitan area. It's the country's largest and busiest airport, and is also regularly named as the busiest on the African continent overall.

The airport reportedly handled a whopping 30.94 million passengers across 2025, marking a 6.8% increase on the 28.97 million it saw in 2024, and cementing the top spot ahead of its nearest rival, O.R. Tambo International Airport in Gauteng, South Africa. But CAI is looking to dramatically expand further, and is currently developing a fourth terminal as part of a long term vision to double its capacity to 60million passengers per year.

The upgrade is estimated to cost $4.5 billion (around £3.2bn). (Image: Getty)

The vast project will also include the construction of a new "new cargo city" logistics hub (Image: Getty)

The vast project will also include the construction of a new "new cargo city" logistics hub, as well as infrastructure and capacity upgrades for the existing Terminals 2 and 3.

Additionally, it will add cutting-edge tech to improve traffic flow and passenger services, British Aviation Group reported last year.

In a television interview in February this year, Egypt’s Minister of Civil Aviation Sameh El-Hefny said the upgrade is estimated to cost $4.5 billion (around £3.2bn), Ahram Online reported.

The current completion target is four years from late 2025. It comes as other African nations are taking steps boost their airport capacity and maximise their tourism potential.

One in Ethiopia could eventually surpass CAI's capacity if its ambitions are met - even with the upgrades.

Cutting-edge tech will improve traffic flow and passenger services (Image: Getty)

The Bishoftu International Airport (BIA) is a major transport infrastructure project being constructed near the town of Bishoftu, Ethiopia, some 25 miles from the capital, Addis Ababa.

The project was launched to alleviate pressure on the nearby Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, which has already been expanded, and position the country as a leading aviation hub.

The plan is for the new travel hub, which will be only 25 miles from the capital, to be built in phases. State-owned Ethiopian Airlines won the contract to design it and is responsible for around 30% of the funding.

The rest is being provided by international lenders. The African Development Bank (AfDB), a major backer, said in an update on January 21 that the initial phase is "currently under preparation" and reaffirmed previous goals of it being "designed to accommodate 60 million passengers annually".

The AfDB said the aim is "ultimately scaling up to 110 million at full development in later phases". The plan is for it to eventually have four runways.

The first phase planned to be completed by the end of the decade.