All along, the idea of a communication between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea never left him. From 1830 he was expressing his ideas, first with the consul general of France, then with Ferdinand de Lesseps. In 1841 he submitted a preliminary plan for a canal to the Compagnie Péninsulaire et Orientale and in 1844, set before Lesseps his complete plans. In 1854 Lesseps obtained from the viceroy Muhammad Sa'id the "firman" for the canal concession on behalf of the Compagnie universelle du canal maritime de Suez, and Linant was named chief engineer, in which capacity he was soon assisted by the French hydraulics engineer Mougel, for Linant continued in charge of public works, as director general (1862), as Minister of Public Works (1869) and member of the viceroy's council.