By Mohamed Attia
The air traffic control officers (ATCO) proved that they are extraordinary men, after their success in organising air traffic during the COP27 climate summit, which was held in Sharm el-Sheikh last November.
Organising the COP27 was a difficult test for the air traffic controllers.
During the activities of that global event, Egypt received nearly 40,000 participants, including more than 60 heads of state and monarchs, in addition to dozens of prime ministers and civil society organisations without reporting any hurdles or complaints. This also coincided with the start of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which necessitated the passage of hundreds of aircraft through Egyptian airspace, however the air traffic controllers proved unrivaled efficiency as no significant problem occurred.
This remarkable success was commended by Lieutenant General Pilot Mohamed Abbas, who affirmed his appreciation for the great efforts made by the air traffic control sector, particularly during the COP27 summit, which recorded the highest turnoutat Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport.
This success had an international resonance, especially at the Arab level, from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), scheduled to organise the climate change summit (COP28) in November this year.
The UAEleadership was keen to benefit from the successful Egyptian experience in organising COP27.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has recently received a letter of appreciation from the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in the UAE, in which the sister country expressed its praise for the great role played by Egypt in the good organization of the climate summit. It also hailed the outstanding performance of the air traffic control officersin organizing and managing air movement with high efficiency and professionalism in accordance with the highest international standards and air safety standards.
Meanwhile, the Emirati side held a meeting with the specialists of the National Air Navigation Services Company (NANSC)to know about the air traffic management plan Egypt has drawn upduring the climate conference, which would contribute to the UAE benefiting from the Egyptian experience in the field of air monitoring.
During the meeting, they discussed ways to enhance joint co-operation as the UAE hosts COP28 next November.
In its endeavour to make the best use of the Egyptian expertise in the field of air control, the UAE sent a delegation under the head of Captain Ahmed al-Kallaf, Director General of Sheikh Zayed Air Navigation Centre (SZC), to visit the NANSC headed by Captain IhabMohieldin.
During the visit, the two sides reviewed ways to enhance co-operation and coordination between Egypt and the UAE, in addition to exchanging expertise to make the next COP in the UAE successful.
