Negotiations under way to let EgyptAir jets land in Madinah
Published: Sep 8, 2010 01:18 Updated: Sep 8, 2010 01:18
JEDDAH: Egyptian aviation authorities have urged their Saudi counterparts to allow EgyptAir planes to land at Prince Muhammad bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Madinah.
The airline’s regional director Samir Imbabi is heading a delegation that is negotiating with the Kingdom to allow them to transport 70,000 pilgrims from Egypt during the upcoming Haj season.
He said he presented Saudi civil aviation authorities with a plan under which EgyptAir would operate 317 flights, 181 of them to Jeddah, 107 to Madinah and 29 to other destinations.
Imbabi described talks as positive so far and said there would be more negotiations over the next few days to reach an agreement, particularly as Haj flights are subject to their own set of air transport agreements. He praised the level of cooperation from Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi civil aviation authorities banned EgyptAir flights to Madinah during the last Haj season, forcing the airline to land at Jeddah and transport pilgrims by bus to Madinah.
According to travel and tourist agents, the tug of war between the aviation authorities has affected the movement of passengers between the two countries. They say EgyptAir was forced to increase its daily flights to Jeddah from three to four.
Imbabi, on the other hand, said there was no problem with securing reservations on Jeddah flights. “We can accept any number of passengers and are ready to provide extra flights if needed,” he said.
Imbabi said a move to stop Saudi Arabian Airlines from flying to Cairo from Madinah followed the similar ban on EgyptAir.
He added that Saudi civil aviation authorities had asked Egypt to inform them daily about their flights to Madinah and ask for permission every time it planned to send aircraft to the holy city, which he said was unacceptable.
The air transport agreement between the Kingdom and Egypt was amended five years ago to enable their national carriers to fly directly between both countries and organize extra transport without restrictions concerning the number of seats in each flight.
Imbabi was hopeful that the negotiations would end the rift between the civil aviation authorities.
However, according to travel and tourist sources, the dispute between the two aviation authorities was caused by Egypt’s refusal to allow budget airlines to land in Cairo.
