Sphinx International Airport and Cairo’s Other Airports

Look at a map of Greater Cairo and the city’s main airport sits out on the eastern edge, past Heliopolis, while most of what visitors actually come to see — the pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum, Saqqara — lies on the opposite side of the Nile. For decades that meant every pyramid trip began with a long crossing of the city. Sphinx International Airport, out in the desert west of Giza, changes that for the people whose flights use it. It is small, it is busy, and for the right traveller it is the most convenient way into Cairo. For the wrong one it is a long way from their hotel.

This guide covers Sphinx (airport code SPX) in detail: where it is, who flies there, what the terminal has, and how to get from it to the pyramids, the museum and the rest of the city. It also explains Cairo’s other airfields — Capital International out by the New Administrative Capital, and Almaza in Heliopolis, which many travellers come across in older guides and on maps. Cairo International, the main gateway, has its own complete traveller guide. Route and airline details were checked in October 2026; airlines add and drop routes every season, so confirm yours on the airline’s own booking page.

Cairo’s airports at a glance

Airport	Code	Where	What flies there	Best for
Cairo International	CAI	Heliopolis, north-east Cairo	Almost everything: EgyptAir’s hub, full-service and low-cost airlines, domestic flights	Most trips, and anyone staying in Zamalek, Downtown, Garden City or Heliopolis
Sphinx International	SPX	Cairo–Alexandria Desert Road, west of Giza	A handful of low-cost and regional airlines, some seasonal	Stays in Giza, near the Grand Egyptian Museum, or in Sheikh Zayed and 6th of October
Capital International	CCE	About 45 km east of Cairo, near the New Administrative Capital	Very few scheduled flights; Air Cairo’s Jeddah route since February 2026	Almost no visitors; business in the New Capital
Almaza	—	Heliopolis	No scheduled passenger flights; an Egyptian Air Force base	Not an option for travellers

The short version: if you are flying into Cairo, you are almost certainly landing at Cairo International. If your ticket says SPX, read on, because your first day will look quite different.

Where Sphinx International Airport is

Sphinx sits beside the Cairo–Alexandria Desert Road, around kilometre 45 of the road according to Egyptian business press, in open desert north-west of the Giza plateau. The nearest built-up areas are the western new towns — Sheikh Zayed and 6th of October City — rather than Giza proper. Its main runway is 3,650 metres long, which is enough for the narrow-bodies and mid-size jets that use it.

What matters to a visitor is distance by road, and here the picture is more nuanced than the airport’s name suggests. Measured on a route planner, these are the road distances from Sphinx and, for comparison, from Cairo International:

Destination	From Sphinx (SPX)	From Cairo International (CAI)
Grand Egyptian Museum	About 34 km	About 39 km
Giza pyramids, main gate area	About 37 km	About 41 km
Sheikh Zayed City	Closer than any other place listed here	Much further, across the whole city
Zamalek	About 43 km	About 22 km
Tahrir Square, Downtown	About 45 km	About 21 km
The other airport	About 62 km to CAI	About 62 km to SPX

Look at the first two rows and Sphinx barely seems closer to the pyramids at all. The real difference is not the number of kilometres but which kilometres they are. From Cairo International you cross the whole metropolis, on ring roads and flyovers that carry some of the city’s heaviest traffic, and the drive can swell to well over an hour at the wrong time of day. From Sphinx you run along the desert road and the western highways, skirting the city rather than going through it. The route planner gives a little over half an hour for both trips on empty roads; Cairo’s roads are rarely empty, and the western approach usually suffers less. Allow generous time either way, and check a live maps app before you set off.

Now look at the Zamalek and Downtown rows. If your hotel is in central Cairo, Sphinx is roughly twice as far away as Cairo International, and the last stretch into the centre is through exactly the traffic you were hoping to avoid. A cheap fare into SPX can turn into an expensive taxi and a long first evening.

A short history

Sphinx was developed in the late 2010s as a second gateway on the western side of Cairo, partly with the Grand Egyptian Museum and the pyramids in mind. Sources differ on exactly when it opened: test flights were reported in January 2019, and the first international flight, operated by Fly Jordan, is generally dated to 1 January 2020. Scheduled domestic flights to Sharm el-Sheikh followed in November 2022.

Low-cost airlines are what turned it from an empty terminal into a working airport. easyJet was among the first big European names to arrive, and other budget and regional carriers followed. By October 2025 Egypt’s civil aviation minister was telling reporters, at a press conference held at the airport, that Sphinx had handled 1,034,032 passengers between 1 January and 18 October 2025, up 21% on the same period of 2024, against a design capacity of about 1.2 million a year. In other words, the building is close to full. The minister also said the government was considering adding Sphinx to a list of 11 Egyptian airports whose management it plans to offer to private operators. Check the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s announcements for any plans to expand the terminal.

Which airlines fly to Sphinx

The airline line-up at Sphinx changes from season to season, and there is no official, always-current list. What can be said with dates attached:

• easyJet is the best-known name at Sphinx for European travellers. Its own media centre announced a new Manchester–Sphinx route from 9 November 2026, flying on Mondays and Fridays, as part of its winter 2026–27 programme.
• Kuwait Airways began flying to Sphinx on 15 January 2026, three times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays), according to the announcement carried by the regional business press.
• In November 2025, a profile of the airport in the Egyptian business newsletter Enterprise listed Air Cairo, Condor, easyJet, flynas, flydubai, Jazeera Airways, Nile Air (seasonal) and Wizz Air among the airlines using it.

That gives a clear sense of the airport’s character: European low-cost and leisure airlines, Gulf carriers serving Egyptians who work in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Emirates, and Egyptian airlines flying regional and domestic routes. What you will not find is the long-haul network of Cairo International, and connections onwards to the rest of Egypt are limited.

The practical advice is simple. Do not decide where to stay until you know which airport your flight uses — and check it twice. Airline booking pages often label Sphinx as “Cairo” or “Cairo Sphinx”, and it is easy to book a cheap fare without noticing that it lands 60-odd kilometres from Cairo International. The three-letter code is the giveaway: SPX is Sphinx, CAI is Cairo International.

Connections and self-transfers

Sphinx is a point-to-point airport. If you are planning to fly in on a budget airline and out of Cairo International on another ticket, or to connect to a domestic EgyptAir flight to Luxor or Aswan, budget for the transfer between the two airports: about 62 km by road, across the full width of the city. That is a long taxi ride, not a shuttle bus, and it can take far longer than the distance suggests. Build in a very large margin, or better, stay a night in between. Our Cairo layover guide explains how much time different connections really need at Cairo International.

Inside the terminal

Sphinx is small and easy to understand. Enterprise’s November 2025 profile described the passenger building as having 26 passenger service counters, 10 passport-control counters, seven departure gates and six arrival gates. It also listed a VIP lounge, duty-free shopping, restaurants and a food court, a mosque, and car parking for 400 cars and 20 buses. Compare that with Cairo International’s three terminals and you get the idea: you can see most of Sphinx from the front door.

The upside is speed. When only a couple of flights are moving, the walk from aircraft to kerb is short, and there are no inter-terminal shuttles to work out. The downside is that facilities are limited, and when several flights arrive together, the passport counters and baggage hall feel the strain of an airport running close to its design capacity.

Money and phones

Do not count on the full range of banks, exchange offices and phone-company counters you would find at Cairo International. Some services may be available, but at a small airport they can be closed when your flight lands, especially late at night. Arrive with a card that works abroad, a little US dollar or euro cash in clean notes, and data already sorted — a travel eSIM bought before you fly, or roaming for the first day. Then buy a local SIM and draw cash in town. Our guide to SIM cards, ATMs and currency exchange at Cairo airport explains the order to do things in and what the tourist bundles cost.

Visas

Sphinx handles international flights, so there is passport control on arrival. What is less clear is which visa options are offered there. The digital QR-code visa on arrival was introduced at Cairo International, and the visa-on-arrival process is far better documented there than at Sphinx. If your nationality needs a visa, the safest plan is to get Egypt’s official e-Visa from the government portal before you travel, and to check entry requirements with your airline. Our guide to Egypt’s visa requirements covers who needs what.

Getting from Sphinx to the pyramids, the museum and the city

There is one rule for Sphinx: plan your ride before you land. A big airport has a taxi rank, a row of transfer desks and a crowd of drivers; a small desert airport may have none of those when you walk out, particularly after midnight. Do not count on public transport, and walking out to the main road is not an option.

Hotel transfer or pre-booked car

For most visitors this is the right answer. If you are staying near the pyramids or the Grand Egyptian Museum, ask your hotel to arrange a pickup and give them your flight number and the airport code. Hotels near the pyramids can usually arrange this. Confirm the price in writing before you travel, and make sure the driver knows it is Sphinx and not Cairo International: a driver waiting at the wrong airport is the classic SPX mistake, and the two are an hour apart.

Uber

Uber works at Sphinx. Uber’s own airport page for SPX says rides can be requested around the clock, and lists UberXL for larger groups and luggage. The same page notes that Uber’s “taxi” product is not available for pickups at Sphinx, so choose one of the standard car options in the app. As anywhere, waiting for a driver to accept a trip to a desert airport can take longer at quiet times, and you need data to book: another reason to have a working phone before you land. Our guide to Uber and Careem in Cairo covers pickup etiquette and payment.

Taxis

If you end up negotiating with a driver at the kerb, agree the full price to your hotel before you load the bags, in pounds, and make sure it includes any road tolls. Do not accept “we’ll sort it out later”. If no price feels right, a ride-hailing app gives you a fare before you commit, and the comparison alone is useful leverage.

Which areas Sphinx suits

• Giza, near the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum. Sphinx is ideal. You avoid central Cairo entirely, and can be at your hotel in Nazlet el-Samman or along the Pyramids–Alexandria road with the evening still ahead of you. Our guide to hotels near the pyramids helps you choose a base.
• Sheikh Zayed and 6th of October. The closest areas of all. Good for visiting family, business in the western suburbs, or a quieter stay with a car.
• Zamalek, Downtown, Garden City, Maadi and Heliopolis. Sphinx is the less convenient airport by a long way. You will cross the city on arrival and again on departure. If you have a choice of flights, pick one into Cairo International.

Planning a trip around Sphinx

The neatest use of Sphinx is a trip built around the west bank of the city. Fly in, sleep in Giza, and spend your first full day at the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum while you are still fresh. Our plan for the Grand Egyptian Museum and the pyramids in one day works especially well from a Giza base. Saqqara and Dahshur are on the same side of the river, and an early start from Giza beats any start from the centre.

Then, if you want Islamic Cairo, Khan el-Khalili and Zamalek, move hotels for the second half of the trip rather than commuting across the city every day. Fly home from whichever airport suits your last base. With Sphinx in the west and Cairo International in the east, an open-jaw itinerary — in through one, out through the other — can save you a long cross-city drive at each end, as long as the fares line up.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Arrive with a plan for the first night. The airport is small, and services can be thin at night.
• Allow plenty of time on departure. The airport is quick inside, but the road out from central Cairo is not. Leave from Zamalek or Downtown as if you were going to a much more distant airport.
• Do not book a tight onward connection at Cairo International. Two airports 62 km apart are two airports, not two terminals.
• Use the right code everywhere. Hotel transfer bookings, car hire and travel insurance forms should all say SPX.

Flying out of Sphinx

Departure is where Sphinx’s location bites hardest, because the airport itself may be quick but the drive to it is not something you can hurry. A few things make the last day go smoothly.

Getting there

Book the ride the evening before, not the morning of the flight. A hotel car or a pre-arranged driver is the safest choice for an early departure; ride-hailing works, but finding a driver willing to make the long run out to the desert at 4 a.m. can take time you do not have. Tell the driver “Sphinx airport, on the Alexandria Desert Road” rather than just “the airport”. In Cairo, “the airport” means Cairo International, and a driver who sets off in the wrong direction will cost you an hour before either of you notices.

From a Giza hotel, leave comfortably early and you will usually be fine. From Zamalek, Downtown or anywhere east of the Nile, treat the trip as a proper journey: about 45 km of road, much of it through central Cairo, with traffic that varies wildly by time of day and day of the week. Check a live maps app before you set off, and add a buffer on top of whatever it says. If the timings look tight, a last night in Giza or near the Grand Egyptian Museum turns a stressful dash into a short morning drive, and it is a good excuse for one last look at the pyramids.

At the terminal

Check your airline’s own advice for when check-in opens and closes; low-cost airlines are strict about cut-offs, and a small airport does not make them any more flexible. Inside, Sphinx is compact. There is duty-free shopping, places to eat and a VIP lounge, but nothing like the range of the terminals at Cairo International, so do not plan a long, leisurely airside meal. When several departures bunch together, the check-in and passport queues can grow quickly in a building working close to its capacity. Arriving early costs you a coffee; arriving late can cost you the flight.

Spending your last pounds

With fewer shops and counters than at Cairo International, Sphinx is not the place to change leftover pounds back or do serious shopping. Spend down your cash in town over the last couple of days, keep a little for the driver and a final tip, and pay airside by card. If you want to change money back, do it at a bank in the city before you leave.

Capital International Airport

Capital International (code CCE) lies about 45 km east of Cairo, built to serve the New Administrative Capital, the government district rising in the desert between Cairo and Suez. It opened for a trial period in July 2019, but for years saw only occasional flights. In February 2026 Air Cairo began flying from Capital to Jeddah six times a week, which the civil aviation ministry presented as the airport’s first regular international route.

For visitors to Cairo the verdict is straightforward: it is not a practical gateway. It is far from every sight a tourist comes for, and on the wrong side of the city for the pyramids. Unless you have business in the New Administrative Capital and a flight that happens to use it, fly into Cairo International or Sphinx instead.

Almaza: the airport on old maps

Almaza, in Heliopolis, still appears on maps and in older travel writing as an airport. Today it is an Egyptian Air Force base, home to a VIP transport squadron, and it has no scheduled passenger flights. Visitors cannot fly in or out of it. If an old guidebook, a taxi driver or a map suggests otherwise, ignore it: Cairo International is on the same side of the city, a little further out, and that is where you want to be.

The name sometimes confuses people because Almaza is also the name of a Heliopolis neighbourhood, and of a large shopping mall there. A hotel or flat “near Almaza” is in eastern Cairo, convenient for Cairo International, and a long way from Sphinx.

Which airport should you fly into?

Choose Cairo International if:

• you are staying in Zamalek, Downtown, Garden City, Maadi, Heliopolis or New Cairo;
• you are flying long-haul, or connecting to Luxor, Aswan or another Egyptian city;
• you want the widest choice of airlines, fares and arrival times;
• you value a full set of banks, phone counters, transfer desks and hotels on site.

Choose Sphinx if:

• you are staying in Giza, near the pyramids or the Grand Egyptian Museum, or in Sheikh Zayed or 6th of October;
• your airline flies there directly at a good price;
• you are happy to arrange your ride in advance and arrive with data and a card.

For a short trip that is mostly about the pyramids and the museum, Sphinx can be the better airport. For a first trip that takes in the whole city, Cairo International is usually simpler. And if both your flights and your hotels line up, using one airport for arrival and the other for departure is one of the best Cairo travel tricks there is. Our airport transfer guide covers the options from Cairo International in detail.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Sphinx International Airport?

Beside the Cairo–Alexandria Desert Road in the desert west of Giza, near Sheikh Zayed and 6th of October City. By road it is about 34 km from the Grand Egyptian Museum and about 37 km from the main pyramid gate area, and around 62 km from Cairo International.

Is Sphinx airport closer to the pyramids than Cairo airport?

Slightly closer in kilometres, and usually much easier in practice, because the route skirts the city instead of crossing it. For hotels in central Cairo, though, Sphinx is about twice as far as Cairo International.

Which airlines fly to Sphinx International Airport?

A mix of low-cost, leisure and regional airlines. easyJet announced Manchester–Sphinx flights from 9 November 2026, Kuwait Airways began flying there in January 2026, and a November 2025 profile of the airport listed Air Cairo, Condor, easyJet, flynas, flydubai, Jazeera Airways, Nile Air and Wizz Air. Check your airline’s booking page for current routes.

What is the airport code for Sphinx?

SPX. Cairo International is CAI, and Capital International is CCE. Always check the code on your ticket.

Can I get an Uber from Sphinx airport?

Yes. Uber’s page for the airport says rides can be requested at any hour, though its taxi product is not available for pickups there. Have data on your phone before you land, or arrange a hotel transfer instead.

Can I get a visa on arrival at Sphinx?

The visa-on-arrival process is best documented at Cairo International. If you need a visa, get Egypt’s official e-Visa before you fly and check the entry rules with your airline.

Is Almaza Airport open to passengers?

No. Almaza in Heliopolis is an Egyptian Air Force base with no scheduled passenger flights. Use Cairo International or Sphinx.

Should I use Capital International Airport?

Only if your business is in the New Administrative Capital and your flight happens to use it. It has very few scheduled flights and is far from the sights.

Related Cairo Guides

• Cairo Airport Terminals 1, 2 and 3: Which One Are You In?
• Getting to the Grand Egyptian Museum from Cairo
• The Best Neighbourhoods in Cairo for Tourists
• Getting Around Cairo: The Transport Guide

Photo Credits

Sphinx International Airport terminal at night (featured image): photo by Nabbegat, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).

The forecourt of Sphinx International Airport: photo by Nabbegat, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).

Entrance of Capital International Airport: photo by Ziad Rashad, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0).

Terminal 1 and its car park at Cairo International: photo by Ovedc, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

The pyramids and the Sphinx above the rooftops of Nazlet el-Samman: photo by Caoimheen3, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).