I did a turnaround at the new T2 yesterday. Flight landed on time and it was a very short taxi to the gate compared to the old terminal.

There happened to be an EK ground staff employee waiting on the jet bridge as I deplaned (17:05) who I recognised from December. I mentioned to him that I was flying back on the same plane and he was happy to help, immediately contacting his colleagues by radio and pointing me in the right direction of the new transit area. He was clearly acutely aware that people are turning around in Cairo due to price of the tickets.

When I got to the transit area, the desk was unmanned (17:10). That remained the case for approximately 30 minutes during which time I met another passenger due to fly on EK who was transiting from another airline - not due to price but simply due to itinerary - who had already been waiting for nearly 45 minutes for someone to show up and (understandably) was starting to panic. Although it was starting to get tight, I thought I would wait and see what happened rather than going through immigration, given that I had already checked in online. I told the other passenger that someone from EK should be coming but it was ultimately his choice if he wanted to wait. He eventually decided to stay and wait.

When an EK employee arrived (17:25), he took our passports and said it would take a little while for him to come back due to the distance of the transit area to the check in desks. He only knew to come to the transit area because he had been radioed by the employee I met at the gate so I suspect that the other transit passenger was fairly fortunate.

Shortly after he left, the transit officer finally appeared (17:40) and handed out some passports with boarding cards. He also called various airlines of new people waiting and once again disappeared.

When the EK employee returned with boarding passes, (18:00) we had to wait for the transit officer to return in order to stamp them. By the time he returned (18:10), I was getting a little worried given the flight was scheduled to leave at 18:40. although the EK employee assured us it would not be a problem and again, radioed ahead. With stamped boarding passes he then escorted us upstairs to security and bid us goodbye.

Security was quick with no lines at all (18:15). The new terminal appears to be infinitely nicer than the old one but I did not have time to stop to see the lounge. As I got to the gate (18:20), boarding had not even started yet.

In summary, if you're planning to turnaround, I would definitely find an EK ground employee as soon as you can on arrival. They are exceptionally polite and keen to do their best to help. If I didn't manage to find someone shortly after arriving, I would simply buy a visa stamp and go through immigration given that it is clear that it is not possible to rely on the new transit desk being staffed.

Hope this helps people planning to do the same.