President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi was inaugurating a "new" Suez Canal on Thursday in a historic moment of national pride, as Egypt seeks to boost its economy and international standing.

The event, in the port city of Ismailiya, was attended by several heads of state, including French President Francois Hollande.

It comes two years after then army chief el-Sissi overthrew his Islamist predecessor. The president broke ground on the project last August after being elected on promises of strengthening security and reviving a dilapidated economy.