Egyptian airlines are expected to lower the prices of flight tickets in a bid to encourage tourists when flights resume, the country's Civil Aviation Minister Mohamed Manar Enaba said on Tuesday. In a telephone interview with Sada El-Balad Channel, Enaba said special incentives are being prepared for private airlines. He also said that national carrier EgyptAir, as well as private airlines, had incurred losses up to billions of Egyptian pounds in revenues due to suspension of flights since March in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The Egyptian Ministry of Health, in accordance with the World Health Organisation (WHO), will determine the standards for the resumption of international flights, Enaba added. "The return of aviation depends on the return of aviation in other countries," the minister explained. Enaba said he would meet on Wednesday with the head of a government committee managing the response to the coronavirus to determine the date to resume international flights. The resumption is expected to be within several weeks, the minister said, adding that a number of other countries plan to reopen their airspace to flights in the coming period. "Egyptian airports are ready to receive all visitors and tourists," Enaba said. The airports in Egypt will adopt social distancing rules, meals will be distributed in closed packets, passengers and crew on planes will wear gloves and masks, Enaba added, but he said that there would be no automatically empty seats.
