CAIRO - In a recent meeting held between Hussein Massoud, the Chairman of EgyptAir Holding Company, and reporters, he said that the company had already submitted requests to the Saudi authorities for organising the Hajj flights to Jeddah and Madinah. "We expect their response on the 19th day of Ramadan; in case that they reject our request, the company is willing to transport its passengers from Jeddah to Madinah by bus for free," Massoud said. Massoud added that there would be no increase in ticket prices, and that there were plans to present other low-priced alternatives. “EgyptAir welcomes any co-operation with Egypt's governorates for facilitating transportation, as long as it serves the interests of the company regarding costs,” he said, giving the examples of Marsa Allam, Taba and Marsa Matrouh, since the company has already started operating flights to these destinations. Meanwhile, Chairman of EgyptAir Alaa Ashour has shed light on recent attempts by other airline companies to lure away EgyptAir's skilled personnel, especially pilots. He said that pilot training was not an easy task, requiring a major investment in time and effort. “Well-trained and skilful personnel are priceless,” Ashour said, adding that there will be no unpaid leave approved for any EgyptAir pilot wanting to leave the company for other work. Ashour added that new lines would be operated between Cairo and other destinations such as Accra during the winter season, a line recently suspended due to internal conflicts in the Ivory Coast. And also announce a new line between Cairo and Dar el-Salam and Lusaka. Starting from October, the company will also resume its previously suspended flights to Copenhagen. Mohamed Rahma, the General Manager of the Publicity and Information Department of the EgyptAir Holding Company, stressed the fact that the national company is very concerned with happenings inside and outside Egypt, since aviation is an international industry and following both international and domestic affairs concerning aviation is a “must”. [email protected]
