The strike of EgyptAir flight attendants last week exposed the intention of imposing their demands through twisting the arms of their superiors. I did not expect this from people supposed to uphold the reputation and high standard of our national airline, which has after all grown into one of the major airlines in the region. Although Aviation Minister Samir Imbabi met with cabin crews and discussed their legal demands, they entered into a strike that damaged EgyptAir's reputation and incurred losses estimated at LE50 million. Samir Imbabi, the new Minister of Aviation, has ambitious plans to promote this vital enterprise and maintain its success. He equally wants improve the employees' living standards, although all civil aviation activities suffered in the aftermath of the January 25 Revolution. When Imbabi became minister, he was confident that civil aviation employees would be aware of his intentions. Imbabi is firm in his belief that we can only move forward if we maintain our efforts and safeguard EgyptAir's reputation. Minister Imbabi fully realises the danger such strikes pose; the competition is only waiting for such incidents to happen. However I think that what happened was a storm in a teacup. More importantly, we need to learn from our mistakes and move on if we really want to uphold EgyptAir's reputation. I'm quite certain that our civil aviation sector is in safe hands, and the new minister will actually implement what others only dreamed of. Imbabi has sufficient experience to promote this vital enterprise, and he is determined to bring his plans to fruition. [email protected] [email protected]
