CAIRO: British Airways announced its commitment to the Egyptian market, despite recent declines that hit the company following the country's January 25 Revolution. “That time last year, our activity was at 95 percent, however during the revolution it decreased drastically by almost 70 percent,” Mervat Alfy, country commercial manager for British Airways in Egypt, said on at a media roundtable discussion last Tuesday. During 18 days of protests, which eventually toppled former president Hosni Mubarak and his regime, the company did not cancel any of its flights, in spite of a tight curfew enforced by the army during the revolt. “Our utmost concern is always to ensure the safety of our passengers. And thanks to the hard work and dedication of our staff, especially our airport staff who were working 24 hours a day, we were able to provide our world renowned service that BA is known for worldwide,” said Alfy. Alfy and her team met with Minister of Tourism Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour a last month and proposed a new plan in an effort to boost tourism, as well as increase passenger occupancy for the airline. “We came up with the idea to pay tickets for about 20 top journalists and tourism experts from Britain who can come to Egypt and see for themselves that Egypt is still safe and same as ever,” said Alfy. “There are now hotels in Egypt [that] are willing to cooperate in this project.” Alfy emphasized that the minister welcomed the idea but the project was still being discussed. During the uprising, several European countries, including Britain issued a ban on travel to Egypt, however, Britain was also the first to lift it. British Airways was one of the oldest airlines to operate in Egypt. Because of Egypt's strong relationship with the company, as well as Britain, Alfy was optimistic for the months to come. “We can forecast that our occupancy rate will increase within the next month,” said Alfy. “We are committed to the Egyptian market and doing our part to encourage investment, business and tourism to the country.” Alfy also shed light on the airline's Iberia merger and joint business agreement with American Airlines, which came into effect on Jan. 24. The merger would “provide customers with discounted fares, more convenient connections, and access to a global network of over 500 destinations” as well as a more environment conscious airline system. “We stress our strong commitment to climate change impact with the aim to reduce the net carbon emissions by 50 percent by the year 2050,” Alfy added.
