British Airways suspends flights to Cairo for one week over security concerns, Lufthansa follows with a one-day suspension

On 20 July 2019, British Airways announced that it was suspending its flights to Cairo, Egypt for the next seven days. “The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority, and we would never operate an aircraft unless it was safe to do so,” the airline said. 

On Gov.uk, the United Kingdom advises against all travel to the Governorate of North Sinai, due to continuing criminal activity and terrorist attacks on police and security forces that have resulted in deaths: “Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Egypt. Although most attacks occur in North Sinai, there is a risk of terrorist attacks across the country.”

“Attacks could be indiscriminate, affecting Egyptian security forces, religious sites, large public gatherings and places visited by foreigners. There is a heightened threat of terrorist attacks in or around religious sites and during religious festivals, such as the month of Ramadan and the Christmas period (including Coptic Christmas), when terrorist groups have sometimes called for attacks.”

“Terrorist attacks have occurred over local holiday weekends. Terrorists have attacked tourists in Egypt in the past. There is a heightened threat of terrorist attacks targeting Coptic Christians from extremists linked to Daesh-Sinai in Egypt.”

The Germany-based carrier Lufthansa has followed British Airways with a temporary flight suspension from Frankfurt and Munich to the Egyptian capital as a “precaution” for security reasons, according to the company’s statement. However, the suspension of flights is limited to one day, as Lufthansa flights resume tomorrow (Sunday).