Hurghada
International Airport
Egypt’s second busiest airport and the Red Sea gateway. A 13,123 foot main runway, a second parallel, and El Gouna twenty minutes up the coast. Our old page had the runway 3,000 feet short.
Reviewed by Kevin Singh, Founder · Fact-checked against Icarus Jet fleet and airport operations data · Last updated 2 September 2026
The Airport
Hurghada at a glance
Hurghada carries the ICAO code HEGN and the identifier HRG. A 13,123 foot main runway with a second parallel runway, at 52 feet elevation, about five kilometres south west of the city.
It is Egypt’s second busiest airport, receives heavy direct European charter traffic, and requires prior permission in addition to the national ECAA permit.
Correction
The runway is 13,123 feet
Our previous guide published the runway as 10,049 feet. The main runway 16L/34R is 4,000 metres, about 13,123 feet, with a second parallel runway 16R/34L alongside. Corrected here and in our data.
It is the longest runway on the Red Sea coast and takes the whole of business aviation. Fire cover is not published in open sources and is confirmed per operation.
Operating
Permit, PPR and El Gouna
Egypt requires a landing permit from the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority for private and charter flights. We plan on four business days, with registration, airworthiness, insurance, noise certificate, AOC for charter and crew details, and a specific stated purpose of flight rather than business.
Prior permission also applies at Hurghada, filed with the permit. Handling is available through Egyptian Aviation Services, the principal general aviation handler on the Red Sea, and is arranged regardless of mandate.
El Gouna, about 20 minutes north, has its own private airstrip for light aircraft and turboprops. For a jet the answer is Hurghada with a short road transfer, which is what most private travellers to the resort do; our El Gouna charter page covers that trip.
History
A military field that became the Red Sea gateway
The airport began as a military airfield and opened to civil traffic as the Red Sea resort boom took hold in the 1980s and 1990s.
A new terminal opened in 2015 to handle the direct European charter volume, and Hurghada has been Egypt’s second busiest airport since.
Nearby
Hurghada and the Egyptian fields
Egypt is a permits market first. Choose the airport by destination once the ECAA permit is in hand.
HECACairo InternationalHESXSphinx InternationalHEAXAlexandria InternationalHESHSharm El Sheikh International
HELXLuxor InternationalHESNAswan InternationalHEALEl Alamein InternationalHEGOEl Gouna
El Gouna for the resort itself on a light aircraft. Sharm El Sheikh is across the Red Sea on Sinai. Luxor is about four hours west by road and the natural pairing for a sea and Nile itinerary. Cairo International and Sphinx for the capital. Aswan, Alexandria and El Alamein for the rest.
Airport guides & index
Questions
Hurghada, answered
Can private jets use Hurghada?
Yes. Hurghada is Egypt's second busiest airport and the principal Red Sea gateway, with a 13,123 foot main runway, a second parallel runway and full international facilities. The ECAA landing permit applies and prior permission is required at the airport. Handling is available through Egyptian Aviation Services.
Why did your old page say 10,049 feet?
It was wrong. The main runway 16L/34R is 4,000 metres, about 13,123 feet, with a second parallel runway 16R/34L alongside. Corrected here and in our data. It is the longest runway on the Red Sea coast and takes the whole of business aviation.
What permit does Egypt require?
Egypt requires a landing permit from the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority for private and charter flights. We plan on four business days, with registration, airworthiness, insurance, noise certificate, AOC for charter and crew details, and a specific stated purpose of flight rather than "business".
Does Hurghada need prior permission?
Yes, PPR applies at the airport in addition to the national ECAA permit, and both are filed together. Handling is available through Egyptian Aviation Services, the principal general aviation handler on the Red Sea, which also serves Sharm El Sheikh.
Hurghada or El Gouna?
El Gouna has its own private airstrip about 20 minutes north of Hurghada, suitable for light aircraft and turboprops. For a jet the answer is Hurghada with a short road transfer to El Gouna, which is what most private travellers to the resort do. Our El Gouna charter page covers that trip.
How long are the runways at Hurghada?
16L/34R is 4,000 metres, about 13,123 feet. 16R/34L is a second parallel runway alongside. Field elevation is 52 feet. Fire cover is not published in the open sources we can verify and is confirmed per operation.
Is ground handling mandatory at Hurghada?
Handling is available and we arrange it regardless. We have not confirmed from an authoritative source whether it is formally mandatory, so we do not state that it is.
What does Hurghada serve?
The Red Sea coast from El Gouna in the north to Soma Bay, Safaga and Marsa Alam in the south, and the diving and resort economy that runs along it. It is about five kilometres south west of Hurghada itself.
Can you fly direct to Hurghada from abroad?
Yes, and most do. Hurghada receives heavy direct European charter traffic year round, particularly in winter, and a private aircraft can arrive internationally with the permit in hand. That volume is why the airport has two runways and the largest terminal on the coast.
What is the history of Hurghada airport?
The airport began as a military airfield and opened to civil traffic as the Red Sea resort boom took hold in the 1980s and 1990s. A new terminal opened in 2015 to handle the direct European charter volume, and it has been Egypt's second busiest airport since.
What time zone is Egypt in?
Eastern European Time, UTC+2, with daylight saving reinstated from 2023 giving UTC+3 in summer.
Get Your Number
Request a Hurghada charter
Tell us where on the coast you are staying. We file the ECAA permit and the airport PPR together inside the four day window, arrange handling, and plan the El Gouna transfer or a Luxor pairing if that is the trip.
Prefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203 or email charter@icarusjet.com. The desk is staffed 24/7.