An EgyptAir high-level official said on Tuesday that the decree of British Airways to suspend its flights to Cairo for a week “has no logical reason,” asserting the safety of Cairo International airport, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
Vice-chairperson of EgyptAir Holdings Co, Sherif Ezzat Badrous, added during a ceremony of the delivery of the carrier’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner that the decision was completely unexpected, Reuters added.
Badrous emphasised that EgyptAir is always keen to keep working in a “very safe environment.”
Earlier this week, British Airways abruptly decided to suspend all flights to Cairo airport for seven days citing unnamed “security precautions to allow for further assessment.”
Meanwhile, the German carrier, Lufthansa, decided to suspend its flights to Cairo for one day, then it resumed its trips to Cairo International airport on Sunday.
In a statement on Saturday, British Airways said that “the safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority, and we would never operate an aircraft unless it was safe to do so.”
The United Kingdom Foreign Office updated its advice for Britons travelling to Egypt which included warnings that “there is a heightened risk of terrorism against aviation.”
However, Britain’s ambassador to Egypt, Sir Geoffrey Adams apologised late Sunday for the Civil Aviation Minister Younis El-Masry not informing Egypt about the decision to suspend trips to Cairo, asserting that the suspension has nothing to do with the security measures in Egypt’s airports.
El-Masry expressed his dissatisfaction with British Airways’ unilateral decision to suspend trips to Cairo.
Earlier, Egypt Ministry of Civil Aviation said that British Airways was not issued by British Foreign or Transportation Ministries.
