The “sovereign red lines” of the Egyptian state are turning green—the color of the US dollar. As international consortia have officially submitted bids to take over the management and operation of Hurghada International Airport. This isn’t just a pilot program for Egypt’s aviation sector; it is a desperate fire sale of national infrastructure that should send shockwaves through the Pentagon and the Knesset.

For decades, Egypt’s airports, ports, and strategic industries were the exclusive fiefdoms of the military establishment—unreachable and unlisted. But as 2026 begins, the crushing reality of a $160 billion external debt has forced President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to do the unthinkable: put the keys to the kingdom on the auction block.

The Pilot Program for a Sell-Off

The tender for Hurghada, the Red Sea’s primary gateway, is only the beginning. Supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Egyptian government is preparing to outsource the management of 11 major airports, including Sharm El-Sheikh and Sphinx International.

While Civil Aviation Minister Sameh El-Hefny insists that “Egyptian airports are sovereign assets and not for sale,” the distinction is becoming purely semantic. When a foreign entity controls the “commercial and operational management” of a primary point of entry, they control the data, the security protocols, and the literal gate to the country.

The Geopolitics of Infrastructure: Who is Buying?

The true danger lies not in the act of privatization, but in the identity of the bidders. Recent investment trends in Egypt suggest a pivot away from traditional Western partners toward those who offer cash with fewer “human rights” strings attached:

The Turkish Surge: After a decade of animosity, the Cairo-Ankara rapprochement is moving at lightning speed. Turkish firms, already deeply embedded in Egypt’s textile and chemical sectors with over $3 billion in FDI, are leading contenders for these infrastructure bids.

The Turkish Surge: After a decade of animosity, the Cairo-Ankara rapprochement is moving at lightning speed. Turkish firms, already deeply embedded in Egypt’s textile and chemical sectors with over $3 billion in FDI, are leading contenders for these infrastructure bids.

The Chinese Footprint: Beijing has already earmarked billions for the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone). Controlling the airports that feed these zones is the logical next step in their “Belt and Road” consolidation of the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Chinese Footprint: Beijing has already earmarked billions for the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone). Controlling the airports that feed these zones is the logical next step in their “Belt and Road” consolidation of the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Gulf Consortia: While the UAE and Saudi Arabia have been Egypt’s traditional lifelines, their recent move from “aid to investment” means they are now demanding operational control over assets like the Ras El-Hekma peninsula and major logistics hubs.

The Gulf Consortia: While the UAE and Saudi Arabia have been Egypt’s traditional lifelines, their recent move from “aid to investment” means they are now demanding operational control over assets like the Ras El-Hekma peninsula and major logistics hubs.

Why the US and Israel Should Be Worried

For Washington, the privatization of Egyptian airports represents a massive counter-intelligence nightmare. Just last year, the US signed an MoU to provide advanced TSA-grade screening technology to Cairo International Airport. If the management of these facilities falls to firms from China or Turkey, the US is essentially subsidizing the security infrastructure of its primary global rivals.

For Israel, the stakes are even more immediate. The “Geopolitics of Infrastructure” means that the security of the Sinai and the Red Sea—once managed by a predictable (if cold) military partner—is now being outsourced to the highest bidder. A Turkish-managed airport in Hurghada or a Chinese-controlled logistics hub near the Suez Canal fundamentally changes the regional intelligence landscape.

“Egypt’s economic desperation is shifting its loyalty from D.C. to the highest bidder. When you sell the management of your borders to stay afloat, you aren’t just privatizing an airport; you are privatizing your national sovereignty.”

“Egypt’s economic desperation is shifting its loyalty from D.C. to the highest bidder. When you sell the management of your borders to stay afloat, you aren’t just privatizing an airport; you are privatizing your national sovereignty.”

The High Price of Liquidity

Sisi’s “private sector-driven growth” is a euphemism for a survival strategy. By selling off the management of airports and industrial assets—like the recently announced $200 million sodium cyanide plant in Alexandria—Cairo is buying time at the expense of long-term strategic autonomy.

If the West wants to maintain its influence in the most populous Arab nation, it can no longer afford to watch from the sidelines as global groups—many of them hostile to Western interests—carve up the Egyptian state. The “Sale of Egypt” is well underway; the only question is who will be holding the keys when the debt finally comes due.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)