Passenger numbers down at Egyptian airports

The Chairman of the Egypt Airports Company, Jad El-Karim Nasr, has said that passenger numbers at the premier tourist airports of Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada have plummeted. Both airports show a drop of 60 per cent in tourists passing through last week compared with the same week last year.

Nasr attributed the decline to the bans imposed by a number of countries on their citizens travelling to Egypt. He pointed out that the interim Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tourism is looking to meet with officials from the countries which have imposed a travel ban since the Egyptian coup in July. He said that his company is arranging for a special package as an incentive to facilitate an increase in tourism.

The airport chief visited Sharm el-Shaikh this week to meet passengers and listen to their comments on the passenger experience there. He explained the decline in passenger numbers in a speech to airport workers and promised to reverse the trend as a matter of urgency. In the meantime, he asked the workers to treat passengers “respectfully”.

National carrier EgyptAir, meanwhile, has announced the suspension of its flights to Osaka, Japan with effect from October 20. The company attributed the decision to Japan’s ban on its citizens travelling to Egypt or even passing through Cairo International Airport in transit to other destinations.