Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Abbas Helmy announced that EgyptAir Cargo has resumed flights from Egypt to the US, ending a hiatus of over eight years.
Helmy assured that the ministry is placing the utmost importance in implementing additional security measures, ensuring that all individuals, facilities, and flights while be secured at the highest safety levels.
A ministry statement explained that – in a visit that lasted about a week – a delegation from the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) completed inspections and reviewed the security procedures at Cairo International Airport and on-board EgyptAir flights.
The delegation hailed Egypt’s commitment to all security measures, in accordance with international safety and security standards, the statement added.
Helmy welcomed the TSA delegation’s visit to Cairo International Airport, which positively impacted the decision to resume EgyptAir Cargo flights to transport goods from Egypt to the US.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation is eager to implement all additional security measures within its civil aviation work system, he assured.
He added that continuous training is in place for security personnel within various work sites, trained at the highest level in all security specializations in line with international standards and specifications applied with total precision.
Washington had banned the shipment of goods on passenger planes in November 2015 due to security measures taken by most countries towards Egypt, after Russian investigations proved that the downing of a passenger plane in Sinai was due to a highly explosive bomb.
The air transport agreement between Egypt and USA was signed in 1964 and is one of the oldest signed agreements currently in effect in the region.
The volume of air freight traffic at its peak reached 7,300 tons annually before being halted over eight years ago.
