CAIRO: Egypt's Ministry of Civil Aviation halted all Saudi Airlines flights from Madina to Cairo in response to a decision by Saudi authorities to stop EgyptAir's flights to Madina, state media reported. The General Authority of Civil Aviation in Saudi Arabia (GACA) halted EgyptAir flights to Madina on Sunday and Monday. According to state-run daily Al-Ahram, Saudi Arabia had demanded EgyptAir get preapproval ahead of its daily flights to Madina, which violates an agreement penned five years ago allowing regular flights between the two countries. Acquiring daily approvals would disrupt the airline's schedule, the paper said. The Saudi Airlines' Cairo office refused to comment when contacted by Daily News Egypt on Tuesday, saying the issue is in the hands of the GACA and the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation. Calls to both authorities were unanswered by press time Tuesday.
