Terminal 1
The oldest terminal, a separate building from Terminals 2 and 3. Used mainly by Egyptian private airlines such as Air Cairo and Nile Air, low-cost and Arab regional carriers, and charter flights.
Cairo International Airport (CAI) is the main airport for Cairo, Egypt's capital, and the busiest airport in the country, handling about 30.9 million passengers in 2025. It stands in Heliopolis, about 22 km (14 miles) northeast of downtown Cairo, and the drive into the center usually takes 25 to 45 minutes, depending on traffic.
EgyptAir has its hub here, with flights across the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia and nonstop routes to New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles and Toronto. Gulf airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad and Saudia, European airlines such as Lufthansa, British Airways and Turkish Airlines, and Egyptian carriers Air Cairo and Nile Air add many more routes, including domestic flights to Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh.
The airport has three passenger terminals. Terminal 3, the largest, is joined to Terminal 2, while Terminal 1 is a separate building; an automated people mover and free buses link them, and a Seasonal Flights Terminal handles pilgrim flights.
From the airport, most travelers head to hotels in downtown Cairo, Zamalek and along the Nile, to Giza for the Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, or to the newer districts of Heliopolis, New Cairo and the New Administrative Capital to the east.