SwiftGate operates ground transfers from every commercial international airport in Egypt. The table below summarises the key facts. Full notes for each airport follow underneath.
| Airport | IATA | Terminals | Driver waiting point | Nearest city / resort | Approx. drive to centre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo International | CAI | T1, T2, T3 | Arrivals hall, past customs exit, per terminal | Cairo city centre | 35–65 min (traffic-dependent) |
| Hurghada International | HRG | Single (domestic separate) | Arrivals hall, meet-and-greet zone | Hurghada / El Gouna | 20–40 min |
| Luxor International | LXR | Single | Arrivals exit, name-board area | Luxor East Bank | 10–20 min |
| Sharm el-Sheikh | SSH | Single | Arrivals hall, dedicated ground-floor bay | Naama Bay / Sharks Bay | 10–25 min |
| Aswan International | ASW | Single | Arrivals hall exit | Aswan city / Corniche | 15–25 min |
| Marsa Alam International | RMF | Single | Arrivals hall, outside exit | Marsa Alam town / El Quseir | 25–40 min (Hurghada: 2h 15min) |
Cairo is Egypt's busiest and most complex airport. Understanding which terminal your flight uses prevents a long and expensive inter-terminal taxi ride after you land.
Terminal 1, the original building, primarily handles domestic EgyptAir shuttles to Aswan, Luxor and Sharm el-Sheikh, along with some regional charter traffic. The arrivals hall is a single level with a straightforward exit onto the pick-up road. If you are connecting from an internal Egyptian flight that originated internationally, you will clear customs here. The SwiftGate meeting point is directly outside the customs exit doors — your driver stands in the designated private-transfer bay rather than the general taxi rank, which is further to the right.
Terminal 2 is the main hub for EgyptAir international routes — flights from London Heathrow, Paris CDG, Frankfurt, New York JFK and most Arab capitals arrive here. The visa-on-arrival bank counters are on the arrivals level before passport control; there are typically four to six windows open during busy periods. Baggage reclaim belts are numbered and displayed on screens. After customs, proceed through the sliding glass doors — your SwiftGate driver is in the meeting area on the ground floor, beyond the taxi touts, holding a named sign. If you have added a fast-track service, your representative will meet you airside at the gate before you reach immigration.
Terminal 3 opened in 2009 and handles the majority of non-EgyptAir international traffic: Emirates, Qatar Airways, Lufthansa, Air Arabia, Turkish Airlines, flydubai and others. It is the busiest terminal and queues at immigration can run 40 to 60 minutes on peak evenings. The dedicated meet-and-greet zone is immediately after the sliding exit doors on the ground floor — follow signs for "Private Transfers" rather than "Taxis". The building is modern and well-signposted in both Arabic and English. Pre-booked transfers meet you here; do not accept unsolicited offers from anyone inside the terminal.
Look at the boarding pass or your airline's app — it states the terminal. EgyptAir = T2 in almost every case. All other international carriers = T3. Domestic-only or charter = T1. When you send your flight details to SwiftGate we always confirm the terminal so there is no ambiguity on the night.
Both airports serve the Egyptian Red Sea coast and handle predominantly charter traffic from Europe. Knowing the arrival flow saves time and removes the guesswork.
Hurghada Airport sits 5 km southwest of the city centre and roughly 30 km from El Gouna. The international terminal is a single building; domestic flights use a smaller, separate facility. The visa-on-arrival process runs the same as Cairo: bank counters before passport control sell the USD 25 stamp. During the summer peak — July and August — and the European winter charter rush in December and January, immigration lines at HRG regularly exceed one hour because multiple charter flights from Germany, Poland, the UK, Russia and Ukraine disembark within the same 30-minute window. SwiftGate's fast-track service at HRG uses the expedited lane and typically clears immigration in under 20 minutes. The meet-and-greet zone is in the arrivals hall past the baggage carousel exit. Drop-off times to El Gouna are 35 to 45 minutes; Sahl Hasheesh is 20 to 30 minutes south on the coastal road.
Marsa Alam is a smaller, quieter airport built to serve the southern Red Sea dive and resort market. The terminal is compact — immigration and baggage reclaim are completed in 20 to 30 minutes on an ordinary arrival, making it one of the faster airports to clear in Egypt. The arrivals hall exits directly onto the open kerb. Your SwiftGate driver stands outside the exit with a name board — the area is small enough that you cannot miss them. Destinations from RMF: Marsa Alam town is 30 minutes north, Port Ghalib is 15 minutes, El Quseir is 45 minutes, and Hurghada is approximately 2 hours 15 minutes along the coastal highway. Intercity runs from RMF to Luxor are possible and take around 3 hours via the desert road. See intercity car details for fixed prices on these routes.
Egypt's two principal archaeological destinations both have small, efficient airports well-suited to private transfers. Immigration is typically faster than Cairo or Hurghada because volumes are lower.
Luxor Airport sits 7 km east of the city centre and the East Bank hotels along the Corniche el-Nile. The single terminal handles both international and domestic flights; direct services from European hubs run seasonally. The arrivals process is straightforward: bank counter for visa purchase (or present your e-Visa), passport control — usually one queue of under 30 minutes — baggage reclaim, customs, exit. The name-board waiting area is immediately outside the arrivals doors. Most East Bank hotels are 10 to 20 minutes away. West Bank destinations (Valley of the Kings, Medinet Habu area) add a ferry crossing or the bridge route — budget 25 to 35 minutes. Aswan is approximately 3 hours south by road; SwiftGate offers this intercity route as a fixed-price private car. Overnight sleeper train is also an option if you prefer, but the transfer can be booked alongside a same-day train connection from Luxor Station. See the fleet page for vehicle options suited to longer Nile Valley runs.
Aswan Airport is 23 km southwest of the city, beyond the Nile's west bank. The terminal is small and modern following a 2018 expansion. International capacity remains limited — most arrivals connect via Cairo or Luxor — but direct seasonal flights from several European and Gulf cities operate from October to April. Immigration is fast; baggage reclaim on a single carousel rarely takes more than 15 minutes. The arrivals exit opens directly to the pick-up road where your driver waits. Aswan Corniche hotels are 20 to 30 minutes by road. Abu Simbel is 3 hours south by car and can be arranged as a day-return from Aswan; book through our contact form with advance notice. Philae, Edfu and Kom Ombo day trips are also served with private cars departing from Aswan.
SSH is a resort-focused international airport at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. It is compact by Egyptian standards and relatively simple to navigate.
Sharm el-Sheikh Airport handles direct flights from over 40 European cities during the winter and spring charter season. The international terminal is the main building on the approach road; there is a separate, smaller terminal for domestic and some Gulf routes — check your boarding pass for the correct one. The arrivals hall opens onto a wide forecourt with a dedicated private-transfer waiting lane separated from the taxi rank. Your SwiftGate driver stands in this lane with a name board.
Visa-on-arrival is available at the standard bank counters before passport control. Note: if you are staying exclusively in the Sharm el-Sheikh resort area and not travelling into mainland Egypt, you may qualify for a free 15-day Sinai-only entry stamp rather than the full visa — ask the immigration officer or confirm with your airline in advance. This does not apply if you plan to visit Cairo, Luxor or any destination outside the South Sinai Governorate.
Transfer times from SSH: Naama Bay is 10 to 15 minutes, Sharks Bay 20 minutes, Nabq Bay 30 minutes. The town of Dahab is 90 minutes north and can be reached on an intercity run. See intercity cars for fixed Sinai routes. For groups arriving on the same charter, a minibus is the most cost-effective option.
1. Before passport control, look for bank counters — signs read "Bank Misr" or "National Bank of Egypt".
2. Pay USD 25 per person (EUR or GBP also accepted at approximate rate). Keep your receipt.
3. The teller applies the visa stamp to your passport page. No form to fill in for most nationalities.
4. Proceed to passport control with your stamped passport.
5. If you have an e-Visa (issued online at visa2egypt.gov.eg), skip the bank counters and go directly to the e-Visa lane.
EgyptAir operates from Terminal 2 at Cairo International Airport (CAI). Terminal 3 handles most other international carriers including Lufthansa, Emirates and Air Arabia. Terminal 1 is primarily for charter and domestic traffic. Check your boarding pass, as the terminals are not walking distance from each other and require a shuttle bus or taxi to transfer between them.
Your driver waits in the ground-floor arrivals hall of your terminal, past the customs exit, holding a board with your name. For Terminal 2 this is the main hall immediately after baggage reclaim. For Terminal 3 the meeting point is at the dedicated meet-and-greet area just beyond the sliding exit doors. If you cannot find the driver within five minutes of exiting customs, call the number on your booking confirmation — it routes directly to the driver's phone.
Before you reach passport control, look for bank counters marked "Bank Misr" or "National Bank of Egypt". Pay USD 25 per person — EUR and GBP are accepted at a standard conversion. The teller stamps your passport; no lengthy form is required for most passport holders. Then proceed to passport control. Alternatively, obtain an e-Visa from visa2egypt.gov.eg before departure and use the dedicated faster e-Visa lane on arrival. The e-Visa route is strongly recommended if your arrival is at a busy time at Cairo T3 or Hurghada.
During peak charter season — July to August and December to January — passport control at HRG can take 45 to 75 minutes. Multiple full charter aircraft from Germany, Poland, the UK and other markets arrive within the same window, and the terminal has limited immigration desks relative to passenger volume. Our fast-track service at HRG uses the expedited lane and typically clears in under 20 minutes. Outside peak season the same process takes 15 to 30 minutes without any fast-track.
If you are staying exclusively within the South Sinai resort area — Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba, Taba — and not travelling to Cairo or Luxor, you may be eligible for a free 14-day Sinai-only entry stamp at SSH Airport. This is at the discretion of the immigration officer and depends on your nationality and stated itinerary. If there is any possibility you will travel outside the Sinai, obtain the standard USD 25 visa to avoid being turned back at a checkpoint.
Yes — we can arrange pick-up from Aswan cruise dock or ship terminal for onward transfer to Aswan Airport (ASW), Luxor, or a hotel. Provide the cruise line, ship name and estimated disembarkation time when you book. The same applies to Luxor cruise-end transfers; the LXR airport run from the East Bank dock takes 15 to 25 minutes depending on traffic near the Luxor Temple area.
Many travellers book more than one service — here is what fits naturally with an airport transfer.
A representative meets you airside and walks you through visa, passport control and baggage — saving 30 to 60 minutes at busy Cairo and Hurghada. Pairs directly with any airport transfer booking.
Fast-track details →A named driver with a sign, luggage assistance and a calm handover — essential on red-eye arrivals or when travelling with children. Available at all six airports.
Meet & greet →Fixed-price private cars between Egyptian cities — Cairo to Alexandria, Hurghada to Luxor, Marsa Alam to Hurghada — with the same vetted drivers and flight-tracking where applicable.
Intercity routes →Send your flight number, arrival airport and destination. We confirm the terminal, the driver and the fixed price before you board.
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