Egyptair Suspends Cairo Operations

Egyptair shut down all operations in Cairo on Monday afternoon to comply with the country-wide curfew imposed by the Egyptian government.

Following widespread anti-government protests in the past days, the administration of President Hosni Mubarak has been trying to regain control of the situation, so far unsuccessfully. The curfew was initially set to start at 10 p.m. but was pushed back to become effective at 3 p.m. local time on Monday.

Egyptair managed to operate 28 services until early afternoon, among them many European flights and long-haul services to New York and Bangkok. While the airline plans to operate flights today, when Cairo Airport reopens, it is no longer accepting transfer passengers to foreign or domestic destinations.

Many European carriers have sent extra aircraft to Cairo to fly out expatriates from the capital. Because of the unrest, shootings and looting in downtown Cairo, some embassies urged their compatriots to leave the country. Several countries issued travel notices for Egypt, particularly Cairo, Alexandria and Suez, advising travelers to refrain from all non-essential trips. Cairo’s international airport was packed with thousands of travelers waiting for flights to depart. Many of the flights were delayed even before the curfew became effective. But many found it difficult even to get to the airport, as many of the roads were blocked by the military.

Saudi Arabian Airlines planned to operate eight additional flights from Cairo to several destinations at home. Lufthansa dispatched two aircraft from Frankfurt.

Thai Airways International stated that "due to the escalating situation and Thai’s review of flight safety to Cairo, the operational effectiveness at the airport, and other crucial factors, a direct flight to Cairo was not possible.“ The airline dispatched an aircraft to Amman, Jordan, and organized a charter flight from Cairo to Amman that it does not need to operate itself. The rescue flight is planned to leave Amman today at 2 p.m.

Air China dispatched an aircraft to Cairo to take back at least part of the about 500 Chinese citizens stranded there.

Finland’s Foreign Ministry chartered a Finnair aircraft for a Cairo-Helsinki service expected to be operated tomorrow.

Tour operators say, however, that the number of cancellations for trips to Egyptian holiday resorts, such as Sharm el-Sheikh or Hurghada, has been small. Demonstrations have so far been limited to the big cities. The resorts are relatively isolated and a car trip of several hours away.