CAIRO - African Ambassadors to Egypt enjoyed their recent visit to the civil aviation sector and praised its achievements under the Minister of Civil Aviation's leadership. At the end of the tour, the doyen of the African diplomatic corps, Somali Ambassador to Egypt Abdallah Hassan, expressed appreciation to Minister Ahmed Shafiq and all officials in the civil aviationsector. He described it as a "huge African and Arab Association," whose enormous progress has made all African countries feel proud. Ambassador Hassan added that he was a faithful EgyptAir passenger and what he had seen during this visit gave him a real insight and enabled him to appreciate the Egyptian civil aviation sector's accomplishments. "We cannot deny or forget what Egypt has contributed to Africa; for we all are brothers and should unite." The tour had started with a brief visit to the Civil Aviation Authority building, where the African envoys were given apresentation, reviewing recent projects of the civil aviation sector, followed by a visit to the EgyptAir Training Centre, TB 3 and the EgyptAir Control Centre, where they were welcomed by Abdel Aziz Fadel, the Chairman of EgyptAir Maintenance and Engineering. Fadel gave a presentation of the centre, which is responsible for technical and maintenance operations. The tour concluded with a visit to the Engines Complex, affiliated with EgyptAir Maintenance and Engineering, that cost LE500 million and had a great appeal for the African diplomats.
A charming city
Despite my frequent visits to many cities around world, I never feel such happiness that I feel every time I visit Dubai. The Emirate, for me, has become the most beautiful city I've ever seen in form and content. Regarding form, I think that Dubai deserves to be dubbed the most beautiful city in world, as it has succeeded in growing from a barren desert to a wonderland. I have to admit that whenever I visit Dubai, I try to find a negative thing, but to no avail. The governmentof the Emirate is relentlessly working on beautifying the city not only to attract the attention of visitors but the world as a whole. Concerning the content, the visitor doesn't find any difficulty in dealing with people, who are so hospitable, friendly and kind-hearted. Governmental personnel compete among themselves to remove any obstacle to anyone whether a citizen or a visitor, especially in the tourism sector in Dubai, which has gone beyond the expectations of journalists, whom it helps and provide with all information they mightneed. Dubai Tourism Department is always ready to arrange meetings with officials. Dubai is a magical land that has gone beyond everyone's expectation. Massoud attends Geneva meeting Hussein Massoud, the Chairman and CEO of Egypt Air Holding Company, participated in the 73rd IATAStrategy & Policy Committee meeting as well as IATA' Board of Governors meeting, which were recently held in Geneva. The meetings focused on discussed topics including the recovery of the aviation industry from the global financial downturn. Global air cargo rates have increased by 3 per cent in comparison to the pre-crisis. An increase was also cited in passenger traffic, despite a drop in the business and first class ticket prices by 11 per cent. During the meeting, a co-operation protocol on air safety and security was signed between IATA, ICAO, EU and US, aimed at exchanging expertise and information of safety and security and setting relevant international standards. They also discussed the usage of mobile phones in booking tickets and check-in, selecting the seat and obtaining the boarding pass. Furthermore, the Board of Governors meeting discussed the priorities of air industry in the year 2011, in which the main focus of the year will be safety, security, the environment and facilitating travelling measures, in addition to outlining a vision to the air industry till the year 2050. Other key topics included the proposed agenda for the IATA's 67th General Assembly meeting, which is due to be held in Cairo on June 5-7, 2011. Around 1,000 officials and aviation leaders are expected to participate in this event from all over the world, an event seen to enhance the role ofEgyptAir at both regional and international levels.
