EGYPTAIR MOVES TO REASSURE PASSENGERS
(Posted 18th August 2013)
Egypt Air, the national airline of this troubled North African country, has reassured the market that their flights are operating normally and that operations in Cairo, their hub and main transit point for many passengers from the rest of Africa enroute to their final destination, are continuing without hitches.
Surely cognizant of the fact how their traffic volumes collapsed during the initial wave of demonstrations and the ouster of former President Mubarak, the airline must be concerned that a similar downturn of fortunes could have a serious impact on the financial situation of the company and their sales staff across the African continent have reportedly gone out of their way to make sure that their regular travellers are kept informed and are told that there is no need, at this stage, to switch to other airlines over concerns of their Cairo transit.
The following statement has been availed, issued by the Egyptian transport ministry:
‘Abdul Aziz Fadel, Minister of Civil Aviation confirmed the steady operation of flights at Cairo International Airport and other airports without any flight cancelations.
233 departure/arrival flights carrying 21,000 passengers occurred from 12am to 12pm of Thursday 15 August, where Cairo International airport operated 179 flights carrying 14,000 passengers.
Other airports, such as in Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada, Borg El-Arab, Luxor, Sohag and Assiut conducted 54 departure/arrival flights carrying 7,000 passengers.
The ministry spokesman confirmed that hospitality beverages and meals were offered to arriving passengers unable to reach their homes during the curfew.
He also added that coordination had been made with concerned entities to allow passengers to move during the hours of the curfew, provided they show their passport and flight ticket to officials at checkpoints.
The minister also announced that Egyptian airspace is open for regular air traffic and none of the foreign communities requested to leave the country. Fadel praised the efforts of civil aviation staff and their eagerness to maintain normal air traffic and continue serving passengers.
Fadel said the national air carrier, EgyptAir, will allow passengers on flights after 9pm to begin check-in procedures starting from 5pm, before the curfew begins. He also gave directives to exempt passengers from demurrage or any fees in case of delays due to road traffic.
