Cairo - Egyptian Civil Aviation Minister Sherif Yehia praised a decision taken by Germany to lift all restrictions on tourist flights to South Sinai. The decision will have a positive impact on the tourism sector in Egypt, Yehia told MENA on the sidelines of his participation in the International Tourism Bourse (ITB), currently held here. The ministry is exerting strenuous efforts to lift all restrictions on tourist flights to South Sinai, especially Sharm El Sheikh, and allow German airlines to fly at an altitude of 26,000 feet, he noted. The minister noted that he held talks with a number of foreign security delegations on how to tighten security at Egyptian airports. The ministry has purchased equipment worth 43 million dollars to implement the first phase of a plan to improve airports' security as instructed by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Yehia noted. He blamed recent economic reform measures for losses incurred by EgyptAir in the past period, but it is a price that had to be paid and a step that should have been taken long ago, he said. He stressed that the Egyptian aviation sector is capable of overcoming the current crisis.
