BA to resume flights to Cairo
July 26, 2019
British Airways will resume flights to Cairo on Friday following a weeklong suspension over unspecified security concerns.
"Following a thorough assessment of the security arrangements, we are pleased that our service to and from Cairo will resume from Friday July 26," British Airways said in a statement.
"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," it added.
The airline suspended flights to and from the Egyptian capital last Saturday "as a security precaution," without providing additional details. No information was given about the security review at Cairo's airport.
German flag carrier Lufthansa also halted flights to Cairo on Saturday for one day. Egyptian authorities criticized the flight suspensions by both carriers.
Fragile security situation
In 2015, a bomb ripped apart a Russian charter plane shortly after departure from Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport in Egypt, killing all 224 passengers and crew on board.
The "Islamic State" terror group claimed credit for the bombing. Investigators believe someone with access to the plane had planted a small explosive device on the aircraft.
Egypt's tourism sector has suffered since the 2011 Arab Spring uprising and a 2014 military coup. Both of these have brought instability to the country, which has faced persistent attacks on security forces, Christian minorities and foreigners, carried out by an IS affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula.
cw/cmk (AFP, Reuters)