Minister of Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates' Affairs Nabila Makram expressed thanks to Dubai government for their fruitful cooperation in helping Egyptians stranded in the UAE to return home. In a phone call with Sada El-Balad TV channel late Saturday, she said 38 travel agencies took part in the airlift operated by Cairo on 8 July to facilitate the return of Egyptians. Several Egyptians were left stranded in transit in the UAE when Saudi Arabia stopped all inbound travel to its territories, as a precautionary measure to confront the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In a statement on Saturday, Makram said that 1,995 stranded Egyptians in the UAE had so far registered themselves on the ministry's online form to return home. Makram was closely following up on the status of the stranded Egyptians in the UAE, especially after announcing on 8 July the launch of an airlift to bring them back home, the statement noted. Coordination is under way with Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El-Anani and Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Manar to return the Egyptians stranded there, Makram said. She added stranded Egyptians who travelled via UAE airlines should register their trip details, especially the number of their tickets and the name of the airliner on the ministry's link.
