EgyptAir loses over $3bln due to flight suspension – minister
EgyptAir has racked up losses of over $3 billion and airports have achieved zero income during the period of flight suspension over the coronavirus pandemic, Civil Aviation Minister Mohamed Manar said.
In an interview with Al-Hadath TV satellite channel late on Sunday, the minister said that the private sector has also incurred great losses during the last three months, Ahram Online reported.
Last month, Egypt’s finance ministry decided to lend EgyptAir 2 billion Egyptian pounds ($127.39 million) to help it handle the impact of the pandemic on its operations.
Egypt halted all international flights on 19 March in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus. It has since only allowed its airports to open to domestic, freight and special repatriation flights.
The country announced late on Sunday that it will gradually resume regular international flights at all its airports starting 1 July, with foreign tourists allowed to fly into three coastal governorates, which have had the lowest numbers of recorded coronavirus cases in the country.
According to Sunday’s announcement, the resumption of tourist trips will come gradually and under certain conditions.
Travelers must sign an acknowledgement at departure airports that they are free of the virus prior to boarding their planes, while those coming from countries with high rates of coronavirus will be required to submit PCR test results to prove they are coronavirus-free before travelling.
Passengers and aircrew will also be obligated to wear masks on board planes while keeping safe distances between one another.
Manar said in his TV comments that the World Health Organisation (WHO) emphasised that there is no need to keep some plane seats empty to limit the risk of transmission, and some people suggest wearing medical masks would be sufficient for this purpose.
In another interview with Sada Al-Balad TV channel, Manar added that the country has so far repatriated around 30,000 Egyptians from abroad, as part of the Egyptian plan to bring home nationals stranded outside the country due to international flight suspensions.
