On a ground tour of the sights of Egypt but worked some nights at the Le Meridien Cairo airport so some spotting info which may help anyone coming through. The hotel is modern and not overly expensive. It sits opposite T3 Egyptair and offers a choice of rooms facing south 05C/05R or north (pool view) 05L. Airport views as offered to the south mostly look at the terminal, not over. Both r/w directions in use during our stay.
We had #446 airport view with club access. If landing on 05C/R you get a 15 second look out the window over the threshold or a better look as they depart away from you. If on 05L north of the hotel you can step out of the room into a glass atrium and easily see the runway. When on 23R that atrium is your friend or from the room you can see taxi out to threshold and landers 23L/C. They get airborne just over the terminal. So, suggest even number rooms floor 4/5, anything from *40-*50. From these rooms you cannot see the approach to Almazah so needed 7x and Gulfs missed. They show on fr24 as landed at HECA but they are not at the main airport. Some rooms are offered as airport view with balcony, I guess anything on the western end may offer a good view of the mil base subject haze.
Nothing read off by eyeball! FR24 the only app with any (half) decent coverage but even that is hit and miss,many things do not track or show. SBS would be very useful but wouldn’t dream of bringing it into the country. I read that bins, scopes and larger cameras are frowned upon and may be confiscated by security. I brought a small monocular and been ultra discreet, it may help we are on a proper tour, the guide met us airside (!)and smoothed our way through passport and security but security is everywhere. Solo travellers may have more hassle. I’ve not had a look at the stored ramps and can’t see them from the hotel. Likewise mil ramps too distant. Like Nick I couldn’t see a safe way to get to T1 which is nearer these ramps.
Traffic as expected: plenty of Saudi (SVA KNE FAD), smaller types from Middle East carriers (KAC IYE Syrian etc) and a good variety of Egyptian carriers.
A good hotel for our needs- my wife is quite happy by the pool area whilst I do the lonely vigil at the window. Some interesting visitors with plenty of good stuff after dark but it really can’t be seen. Also incredibly frustrating for a/c seen but doesn’t track. You will fill some nice gaps.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/nvcSn8CKZqF9Dvi67
Credit Ian Nicholas