Cairo: President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi today opened a new USD 9 billion Suez Canal amid lavish celebrations as Egypt unveiled its 'gift to the world', a historic waterway that will run parallel to the existing one amid hopes of boosting the country's ailing economy.

Sisi, dressed in a military uniform, flew in to the venue Ismailia city in a military chopper, with at least 90 official delegations, including India's led by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.