By Nayrouz Talaat

National carrier EgyptAir denied there will be major increases in the prices of pilgrimage tickets for the Hajj season (Major Pilgrimage) this year, said Hossam Kamal, the company board director.

 Rumors have recently spread online that ticket prices’ increase will exceed 15 per cent this year, said Hussein Sherif, the head of the EgyptAir trade sector.

He noted that the increase will be only from 2 to 8 per cent.

Sherif said that the company has to bear the increase in ticket prices this year, which supposed to be more than 15 per cent, to impose the increase depending on pilgrimage return.

"The causes of increase in tickets’ prices go back to the decrease in the number of pilgrimages as Saudi Arabia is expanding in its holy Harram, in addition to the depreciation of the Egyptian pound versus the U.S. dollar," he said.

It is noted that EgyptAir will start its first flight heading to Mecca in Saudi Arabia on September 21 to commute 64,000 Egyptian pilgrims in 284 flights.