CAIRO, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said Thursday that the government is willing to engage private entities in the management and operation of Egyptian airports, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian cabinet.
Madbouly said the cabinet approved a deal with the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group and the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets, to offer the management and operation of Egyptian airports to the private sector, according to the statement.
On Wednesday, Madbouly discussed with a group of investors and businessmen the role of the private sector through partnership or alliance with the government to promote the civil aviation field by contributing to establishing airline companies and enlarging the country's air fleet, according to a previous statement issued by the cabinet.
During the discussion, Madbouly predicted that Egypt will receive 15.5 million tourists this year, with a target of 18 million in 2025, the statement showed.
In July, Egypt mapped out a plan to increase the Egyptian airports' capacity to 72.2 million passengers by 2025, and 109.2 million by 2030, compared to 66.2 million in 2023. ■
