Rosaviatsiya has opened Borg El Arab and El Alamein airports on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast to applications from Russian carriers for scheduled flights and is ready to review charter bids, the agency said. Air Cairo has already filed for one-off non-scheduled El Alamein-Moscow services starting 15 August.
The step expands options beyond the long-running Cairo, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh corridors and lands just as Russian tour operators have flagged the North Coast as a core growth driver for 2026.
The Notice and Air Cairo’s Quick Filing
The Federal Air Transport Agency told Russian airlines they may now seek permits for regular services to the two airports and that it will consider charter requests. It also asked the Egyptian Embassy to notify local authorities and carriers.
Rosaviatsiya informed Russian air carriers of the possibility of submitting applications for permits to operate scheduled flights to Borg El Arab and El Alamein and of the agency’s readiness to consider applications to operate charter flights to these destinations.
The statement came from the agency itself. Egyptian carrier Air Cairo moved first, lodging applications for non-scheduled flights on the El Alamein-Moscow route from mid-August. Russian airlines Aeroflot and Rossiya already fly 21 routes to Egypt; five Egyptian carriers cover 32.
Readers tracking carrier moves can check Air Cairo route status updates for earlier schedule shifts on the same airline.
Why the North Coast Draws Attention Now
Preliminary Russian approval for seasonal flights to El Alamein and Alexandria airports arrived in July during foreign-minister talks between Egypt’s Badr Abdelatty and Russia’s Sergei Lavrov. Those discussions also covered the El Dabaa nuclear plant and a Russian industrial zone.
The Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) had already placed Egypt at the top of Russian outbound demand for 2026. Conservative growth estimates ran 8 to 15 percent, with some firms projecting 25 percent and the most optimistic reaching 50 percent. Expanded seat capacity and new destinations, “particularly along the North Coast, led by the city of Alamein,” sat at the centre of those forecasts.
New Alamein City already lists more than 15,000 hotel rooms and continues building towers, universities and beachfront capacity aimed at Mediterranean tourism rather than the Red Sea model. The airport sits 160 km west of Alexandria and serves that expanding strip.
What the Two Airports Offer
El Alamein International Airport (DBB) occupies 64 square kilometres with a single 3,499-metre runway long enough for large wide-bodies. Its terminal handles 600 passengers per hour. Seasonal charter operators already include Air Cairo to several CIS cities plus carriers from Serbia, Belarus, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and others.
Borg El Arab, now often styled Alexandria International, functions as the main gateway for Egypt’s second city. Capacity expansions have pushed annual throughput into the multi-million range, with modern terminals and cargo capability. It sits roughly 40 km southwest of central Alexandria and feeds both leisure and city traffic.
| Airport | Code | Runway | Terminal capacity note |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Alamein | DBB | 3,499 m | 600 pax per hour |
| Borg El Arab / Alexandria | HBE | Multiple | Multi-million annual after upgrades |
Both lie on the Mediterranean rather than the Red Sea, cutting transfer times for guests headed to North Coast resorts instead of Hurghada or Sharm.
Operators Already Had Alamein on the Map
ATOR’s January assessment treated the North Coast as more than a footnote. Demand for Egypt rose sharply in 2025, with major agencies reporting 30 to 55 percent increases versus 2024. All-inclusive packages still dominate nearly all Russian bookings, yet quality expectations have risen toward five-star and ultra all-inclusive properties.
Mediterranean options such as Alamein and Alexandria were listed as emerging choices even while hotel inventory remained limited relative to the Red Sea giants. Direct air access removes the main friction. Saudia’s earlier El-Alamein launch already tested the airport’s appeal for Gulf carriers seeking Red Sea-Gulf links; Russian volume would scale that experiment.
Egypt recorded about 19 million tourist arrivals in 2025. First-half 2026 figures reached roughly 9 million, up 4 percent year-on-year, according to ministry data cited in local reports. Russians form a core beach-holiday segment.
Current Russia-Egypt Air Links by the Numbers
Before the new openings, Russian traffic concentrated on three hubs.
- Aeroflot and Rossiya operate 21 routes into Egypt.
- Five Egyptian carriers operate 32 routes the other way.
- Primary gateways remain Cairo, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh.
- Air Cairo’s El Alamein-Moscow application is the first concrete filing under the new rules.
The Federal Air Transport Agency site carries the regulatory notices. Carriers can now file for scheduled rights; charter approvals are also on the table. Actual seat counts and frequencies will depend on commercial demand and bilateral slots once permits issue.
Who Gains From the Extra Gateways
North Coast hotel developers and New Alamein operators stand to fill rooms that previously required longer ground transfers from Alexandria or Cairo. Air Cairo gains a first-mover seasonal product it can market through Air Cairo official booking pages. Russian tour operators secure a new brochure destination that matches their 2026 growth models without further crowding Red Sea hotel stock.
Alexandria itself receives a potential inbound lift for city and cultural traffic. The historic El Alamein WWII cemetery history already draws niche visitors; easier air access may enlarge that segment alongside pure beach holidays.
Red Sea resorts keep the bulk of existing Russian volume for now. The new airports add parallel capacity rather than replacing it. Bilateral talks that produced the July preliminary nod also advanced industrial and nuclear projects, so the aviation step sits inside a broader commercial relationship.
A Quiet Capacity Shift Takes Shape
Russian carriers still need to submit and clear the actual permits. Air Cairo’s mid-August one-offs will test demand and ground handling. If loads hold, scheduled frequencies and additional Russian operators can follow for the winter and next summer seasons.
The North Coast already has the hotel pipeline and the airport infrastructure. Rosaviatsiya’s notice simply removes the last regulatory barrier for Russian aircraft. Tour operators who wrote Alamein into their 2026 forecasts now have the airlift path they said they needed.
