3 exceptional flights to return stranded Egyptians in Beirut

CAIRO – 3 June 2020: Ministry of Civil Aviation operated three exceptional flights powered by Air Cairo Airline to Beirut to return stranded Egyptians there, since the suspension of flights to Egyptian airports in March 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic.

All flights are scheduled to return to Cairo International Airport, where quarantine doctors conduct coronavirus tests on all arriving passengers, before transporting them to isolation areas for 7 days if infection is proven.

The ministry announced Tuesday that it will operate seven exceptional flights over three consecutive days to evacuate 1,400 Egyptian nationals from Beirut, and return them to the homeland.

The Egyptian Embassy in Beirut opened the door for Egyptian nationals to submit requests to return back home.

The Civil Aviation Authority announced the suspension of civil aviation traffic in Egypt, whether coming or leaving from Egyptian airports on March 19. The suspension decision excluded five cases, including air cargo flights, international ambulance trips, domestic flights inside the country and charter flights that return tourist groups after the end of their programs without bringing in new ones.

The government also announced that there is joint cooperation between several ministries to return Egyptians trapped abroad due to the new coronavirus, as directed by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.