President Abdel Fattah El Sisi invited on Tuesday representatives of the various brackets of the Egyptian people to the inaugural ceremony of the New Suez Canal slated for August 6.

In a speech to the nation, the President said about 20 stages would be erected for participants of the grand opening gala.

The expansion adds more than a double of the canal's income by faster and cheaper trips.

The project aims to add a new 72-kilometer-long lane of water along the existing canal linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.