Egypt’s major airports provide designated smoking areas indoors, outdoors, or both. Cairo (CAI), Hurghada (HRG), Sharm El Sheikh (SSH), and Luxor (LXR) offer airside options; lounge access gates some facilities at smaller airports such as Marsa Alam (RMF) and Borg El Arab (HBE), and at Aswan (ASW) both Pearl Lounge smoking areas sit landside, before the departure checkpoint.
Egypt Airports Compared: Before and After Security
Before security, you can always smoke outside: at a designated smoking area where there is one, or outside the airport property, beyond the terminal kerb and car parks. After security, Yes means there is a smoking area past security and a dash means none is listed. Each airport’s page has the details.
| Airport | Before security | After security |
|---|---|---|
| Alexandria Borg El Arab (HBE) | Yes | Yes |
| Aswan (ASW) | Yes | – |
| Cairo (CAI) | Yes | Yes |
| Hurghada (HRG) | Yes | Yes |
| Luxor (LXR) | Yes | Yes |
| Marsa Alam (RMF) | Yes | Yes |
| Sharm El Sheikh (SSH) | Yes | Yes |
At the Red Sea resort airports, Hurghada has post-security smoking cabins in both terminals and Sharm El Sheikh has several airside areas in Terminal 1. For transit passengers, Cairo Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 have smoking rooms past passport control.
How Egyptian Airport Smoking Works
Egypt’s tobacco law (Law 52 of 1981, amended over the years) restricts smoking in many public spaces. In 2026, the airport pattern is:
- Designated smoking areas at every major airport
- Cairo Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 and both Hurghada terminals have indoor smoking rooms or cabins after security
- Red Sea resort airports range from multiple public airside areas at Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh to lounge-only airside access at Marsa Alam
- Some airside rooms require lounge access
The Major Hubs
Cairo International (CAI). Egypt’s primary international gateway and EgyptAir’s hub. Terminal 2, rebuilt and reopened in 2016, and Terminal 3 have signposted indoor smoking rooms after passport control; some airline lounges include smoking sections. Terminal 1’s option is outdoors before security.
Hurghada (HRG). Red Sea resort gateway with post-security smoking cabins in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, arrivals-side cabins near baggage claim, and marked outdoor areas outside both terminals.
Sharm El Sheikh (SSH). Sinai Peninsula resort gateway. Terminal 1 has multiple marked airside smoking areas and a smoking room in the 24-hour Pearl Lounge; both terminals have outdoor areas near their entrances.
Luxor (LXR). Gateway to the Valley of the Kings and ancient Egyptian sites. The single departures concourse has designated smoking areas after security, the airside Pearl Lounge has a smoking cabin, and outdoor smoking is available at the terminal entrance.
Tips for Smokers at Egyptian Airports
- Cairo Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 have smoking rooms accessible to transit passengers
- Hurghada has post-security cabins in both terminals; Sharm El Sheikh has several airside areas in Terminal 1; Marsa Alam’s after-security room is inside the Pearl Lounge
- Duty-free at major Egyptian airports stocks both Egyptian and international brands
- Vaping is legal and regulated in Egypt (since 2022) — vape at the outdoor areas; the airports publish no vaping rule for the indoor rooms, so ask staff