The airport has received positive reviews from the growing number of European travelers keen to visit the relatively tranquil resorts nearby. The airport's facilities are seen as good and improving all the time, with full air-conditioning and a number of restaurants, duty-free shops and other retail outlets located on the premises.

Designed in a modular fashion to allow further expansion, the airport eventually hopes to accommodate up to 4 million passengers a year. Having recently celebrated it's 5th birthday, the airport's growth has been steady, expanding from 145,027 international passengers in 2002 to a projected 500,000 in 2006.

The increasing popularity of the airport has prompted owners the M.A. Al-Kharafi Group to bring forward expansion plans that will double the terminal size and increase the runway, taxiway, ramp and aircraft parking facilities. Previously scheduled for completion in 2011, the developments are now expected to be finalised for the final quarter of 2007.

Jim Pringle, chief executive director for the Al-Kharafi Group's Marsa Alam area developments, has paid tribute to President Nasser Al-Kharafi's vision in turning a once flat, coastal plain and eastern desert into a vibrant, international tourism destination. 'The fact that we are now expanding this airport by 200 percent is a testimony to that vision and to his confidence in Egyptian tourism and in the appeal of the Marsa Alam area'.

A major factor in the need for expansion is the growth of the Port Ghalib resort, also owned by the Al-Kharafi Group, located 10 minutes from the airport. The resort, which currently offers 7,000 rooms and has a further 5,000 under construction, features an international style marina and provides the focus for a host of tourist amenities.