EgyptAir resumed its flights on Sunday after continuous delays that lasted for four days. Several meetings were held between the national airline’s board and the Pilots Syndicate in a bid to find common ground.
Khaled Rifaat, former Pilots Syndicate chief, said in a televised statement on Saturday: “the airline decided to increase salaries by 10% to 12% as of July.”
He also added that the company said it will start updating its internal regulations chart according to their demands.
EgyptAir pilots started a slowdown on Thursday to protest for a raise in their salaries.
According to passengers, there have been significant delays in flights, including eight flights that were delayed on Saturday as a result of the slowdown.
A pilot, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Daily News Egypt that the pilots’ slowdown is not a strike. A slowdown means that they will not officially refrain from work, but will give legal excuses like sick leave and urgent vacations to avoid any legal accountability.
“The salaries in EgyptAir, compared to other private and international companies, are very low. Unlike what is being said on the media, these salaries are not as high as what people think,” the source explained, adding that the pilots are using the slowdown in order to raise their salaries.
This is not an unprecedented incident at EgyptAir. In May 2015, at least 224 pilots resigned in protest of low salaries. Also, major protests happened in June 2013 that led to the delay of around 20 flights.
