Nobody said developing civil aviation's profit-making potential would be easy. Amira Ibrahim reports on the complicated transformation of Cairo International Airport's VIP halls Cairo International Airport's VIP hall is at the core of Aviation Minister Ahmed Shafiq's ambitious vision to boost the sector's profit- making potential. Two years into the job, Shafiq's mandate has always been the elimination of the sector's free services and loss-making companies. National carrier EgyptAir has been in the throes of a major shake-up, and airports across the country are in the midst of serious renovations in an attempt to make that equation a fact on the ground. The current commotion over the ministry's decision to charge fees for the use of Cairo Airport's VIP halls is symptomatic of the turbulence that has come to accompany the dynamic of change. Shafiq was not happy with the way the VIP hall was being used. Established in 1960, the hall has hosted dignitaries and celebrities of all stripes -- providing amenity for the top officials, government ministers, and prestigious foreign guests who were the only ones allowed in. Later, that list came to also include "big" businessmen and lesser government officials. Shafiq capitalised on a mid-2002 attempt to smuggle LE10 million worth of Viagra into the country by an official who used the VIP hall. New rules were announced, and "considerable fees" were discussed. An even fancier, more expensive, newer hall would also be built. President Hosni Mubarak and top state officials inaugurated the new hall two months ago. Located away from the airport terminals, the LE48 million facility "provides customs, baggage and entrance visa services for passengers who want airport staff to complete the necessary paperwork on arrival and departure," Hassan Mohamed Hassan, head of the Cairo International Airport Company, told Al-Ahram Weekly. Airport authorities first decreed a $10,000 per month down payment from airlines, embassies, and ministries wanting to use the service. Embassies declined to use the new VIP hall, citing the down payment as too high. Politicians and top officials didn't like the idea of having to pay not only for themselves but also for their family members, and accompanying delegations. Most businessmen also avoided it. For the past month foreign guests and top officials have been standing in lines like everybody else. Former Minister Venus Kamel, top UN official Mohamed El-Baradie and Nobel laureate Ahmed Zeweil were amongst those not using the new hall. Wary of a diplomatic crisis, Shafiq began to modify his plans. An alternate hall was allocated for government ministers and visiting foreign ministers. But even there, a row broke out when the Syrian transport minister's wife was not allowed to join her husband; Shafiq himself intervened, allowing the woman to pass. Both of the airport's terminals also offer specialised arrival and departure services. Fees have been set at LE100 for Egyptian passengers; foreign passengers pay $50 for themselves and $25 for each family member. Some terminal II passengers who paid for the special departure services were disappointed. "No one helped at the entrance. Inside, there was no help filing out the forms," said an Egyptian passenger who was flying first class on EgyptAir to Riyadh. "In the VIP hall itself, light snacks were served, that's all." Hassan said the LE17 million renovation of the original VIP hall would wrap up later this year. Meanwhile, the new hall will mainly be catering to the elite few who possess their own private planes, need special services, and don't mind paying dearly for them. The fees are $500 for runway services and usage of the hall by the plane's owner and crew. Passengers on board pay $50 each for foreigners, and LE200 each for Egyptians. The cost of using the hall's special salons ranges between $100 for the ordinary salon and $500 for the Royal salon. Responding to claims that the entire enterprise does not look promising, Hassan cited revenue figures of LE60,000 daily. "We were aiming for LE45 million in five years," he said, "but now we are optimistic about reaching that figure in two years."
