By Mohamed Attia
New international praise was bestowed upon the Egyptian civil aviation sector under the leadership of Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Abbas Helmy, following the distinguished and exceptional performance of the personnel of the Ministry of Civil Aviation in the past few days, which witnessed pressure and congestion in Egyptian airspace due to the closure of airspace for countries such as Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon due to the events in the region.
This time, the praise came from the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol), which commended the meticulous planning of air traffic management in Egyptian airspace during the crisis caused by the closure of airspace for several countries in the region, redirecting all flights to pass through Egyptian airspace, which witnessed unprecedented congestion.
Eurocontrol also confirmed that Egyptian air traffic controllers immediately dealt smoothly and safely with the new situation, which demonstrates the competence and skill of the human resources working in the Egyptian air traffic control and navigation system, which proved and affirmed its ability to deal professionally and with high precision in exceptional circumstances, in addition to adhering to the highest international safety and security standards.
The European organisation also praised the significant and effective role played by both the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in immediately activating an emergency plan between the Egyptian and Saudi aviation regions, specifying precise routes that helped accommodate emergency air traffic during those exceptional circumstances.
The European organisation also appreciated the performance of civil aviation authorities and the air navigation and control system in both countries for their significant efforts and tangible role in dealing with this emergency situation quickly and with high efficiency, as full coordination was immediately established between the two sides and the necessary support was provided to accommodate inbound and outbound air traffic resulting from the diversion of many aircraft from their usual flight paths to both Egyptian and Saudi airspace.
Egyptian airspace experienced significant pressure during the first minutes of the Iranian attack on Israel, after flights were diverted from closed airspace to pass through Egyptian airspace, according to the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s NOTAMs on the “Flight Radar” global aircraft tracking website. Here, Egyptian airspace emerged as a safe haven for air travel in the region, and the personnel of the civil aviation sector demonstrated their ability to cope with the emergency event and increase operation rates significantly… The air traffic controllers, led by Captain Ahab Mahy al-Din, President of the National Air Navigation Services Company, were extraordinary heroes, and likewise, the Egyptian airport system under the leadership of Engineer Mohamed Said Mahrous, Chairman of the Airport Holding Company, demonstrated great efficiency in managing the crisis.
In a message to the members of the Ministry of Aviation, General Pilot Mohamed Abbas Helmy, Minister of Civil Aviation, expressed his gratitude to all employees at Cairo International Airport from various specialties and positions for their outstanding performance and dedicated efforts, which were evident in their ability to deal with the increase in passenger numbers on Saturday, April 13, coinciding with the unusual events that took place in the region, with some neighbouring countries closing their airspace due to the military conflict in the area.
The Minister of Civil Aviation also appreciated the efforts of all employees at Cairo International Airport for their great effort and diligent work, each in their position, emphasising that the civil aviation sector is rich with many promising human resources with distinguished capabilities and competencies, as they are the fundamental pillar for the success of any system, along with the strong infrastructure of Cairo International Airport, capable of accommodating more air traffic. He expressed his wishes for continued progress and prosperity.
Likewise, General Pilot Mohamed Abbas Helmy, Minister of Civil Aviation, thanked the air traffic controllers and all employees in the air navigation system of various specialties for their outstanding performance and high skills in managing air traffic with professionalism and skill… In his message, he stated that in unusual circumstances following the closure of airspace for some neighbouring countries, leading to high congestion in Egyptian airspace, air traffic controllers and all employees in the navigation system performed their duties with professionalism and high efficiency, which had a great impact on managing and organising air traffic with precision and fluidity.
Major airlines in the Middle East had announced the cancellation of some flights, while others were forced to change their routes after Iran launched dozens of drones and missiles at Israel on Sunday, April 14. Emirates Airlines canceled some of its flights, while Etihad Airways cancelled its flights to Tel Aviv and Amman, and flights of Fly Dubai were affected due to the temporary closure of several airspace areas.