Ashraf AboArafe
Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Manar said on Sunday 14/6/2020 all airports nationwide will resume flights as of July 1 within a comprehensive plan to resume activities at tourist facilities, hotels, airports, and airlines.
The minister was addressing a press conference that was also attended by Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El Anani and Minister of State for Information Osama Haikal.
The flights will be resumed with countries that will reopen their airports next month, he said.
The civil aviation minister said operations would be resumed gradually at airports, thanking the political leadership for its continued support to the aviation sector.
The ministry worked on raising the efficiency of all airports nationwide in the past period, he added.
Manar said that passengers will be required to finalize several measures before boarding their plane to Egypt, including signing an acknowledgment document specifying the Egyptian city they plan to visit before receiving their boarding cards.
Passengers coming from countries announced to be affected by the pandemic shall submit a fresh PCR test no later than 48 hours before their flights, he noted.
Travelers are obliged to keep a safe distance between each other while boarding and getting off the plane, Manar said, adding that the whole plane will be sterilized and disinfected after each flight.
Passengers and crews will be obligated to wear facemasks, he stressed.
Only dry meals and canned drinks will be offered, while disinfectants, gloves, and masks will be provided for each passenger, he pointed out.
Distribution of any paper publications on board the plane will be banned.
Isolated seats will be allocated for people with chronic diseases who cannot wear facemasks for a long period, as well as passengers who may show symptoms, the minister said.
At the airports, sterilization and disinfection operations will be carried out around the clock and staff will adhere to health safety standards, he stressed.
Sterilization gates were installed.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El Anani said the government is also offering incentives for tourists wishing to visit Egypt, such as the removal of tourist visas for visitors of Egyptian touristic governorates until October 31.
The ongoing flight stimulation program will be extended till October 29, he added.
The Ministry of Petroleum offers a discount on aviation fuel prices that reaches 10 cents per gallon, Anani said.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation also granted airlines a 50-percent discount on landing and boarding fees, he added.
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities granted 20-percent discounts on tickets to visit all museums and archaeological sites affiliated to the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Anani said.
As of July 1, the ministry will gradually open the archaeological sites, Anani announced.
Foreign tourists are welcomed to South Sinai, the Red Sea, and Marsa Matrouh governorates, he added.
The minister said that reopening hotels requires a health safety certificate, which is granted by three parties: the Ministry of Tourism, the Health Ministry, and the Chamber of Hotel Establishments.
Anani stressed that the ministry will firmly deal with any hotel violating the required controls.
He added that his ministry requested hotels to increase their occupancy cap to 50 percent and abide by health measures announced earlier to curtail the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
Each hotel shall provide a clinic and a doctor inside its building to examine the guests, as well as ensuring the provision of personal protective tools and sterilization materials, the tourism minister said.
He added that the hotels should only deal with companies approved by the Ministry of Health And population.
Rapid tests shall be conducted for all guests, he pointed out.
Disinfection booths will be installed at the hotels’ entrances, while guest’s luggage will be sterilized upon their arrival and departure, Anani said.
All areas and various facilities will be routinely cleaned and sterilized, and hand sanitizers will be provided on a regular basis, he added.
A 1.5-meter distance will be maintained between dining tables.
Anani said he will brief his Arab counterparts on measures taken by Egypt at their meeting Wednesday to encourage Arab tourists to visit the country.
