EgyptAir pilots strike, flights delayed

Saturday 14-05-2016 01:04 PM

A plane at Cairo International Airport. Reuters archive

CAIRO, May 14 (Aswat Masriya) - EgyptAir pilots' strike has led to the delay of nine international and domestic flights, including a trip to New York, sources at Cairo International airport said on Saturday.

The flights were all delayed between one to three hours. The pilots have been striking for four days, delaying their work in order to get the company to improve their working conditions.    

The sources also told Aswat Masriya that a number of pilots apologised for cancelling their flights, leading to their delay, on the pretexts that they were overworked, sick and exhausted while others reported that the planes were undergoing technical failures.

Negotiations are currently taking place between the company and the pilots, who are trying to maintain the issue so that they do not spill over into other sectors.

Amru Nasr, a syndicate leader for Egyptian pilots, said that the syndicate has been updated on the EgyptAir issue and has been calling on "all sides" to sit on the negotiations table and find suitable solutions at the quickest time.   

EgyptAir has been facing losses of over EGP 11 billion (around $1.2) since air traffic has significantly decreased due to a decline in the tourism industry since the 2011 Uprising.

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