Egypt allows exceptional flight to London despite aviation suspension

Hagar Omran
2 Min Read

The Egyptian authorities have allowed for an exceptional Air Cairo flight from Cairo International Airport to London’s Heathrow Airport on 22 April.

The exceptional flight will take place despite ongoing air travel suspension due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

There are currently onward flights from Heathrow scheduled that day to various US destinations including Washington Dulles Airport and New York’s JFK Airport, the US embassy in Egypt said. The embassy added that there are additional flights scheduled for departure on 23 April.

Under current UK guidance, US citizens and Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) can transit without a UK visa so long as they arrive and depart by air. It has also been confirmed that they can book seats on onward flights that leave on the day of arrival or before midnight on the day after arrival. Travellers must be able to provide the correct documents for their final destination upon arrival for the exceptional flight, the US embassy explained.

The embassy is continuing to work with its partners and the Egyptian government to identify or arrange options for US citizens who wish to depart Egypt.

The US embassy in Cairo continues to collect information from US citizens to estimate the ongoing demand for flights departing from Egypt, the embassy said. It reminded their citizens in Egypt to adhere to local quarantine and curfew measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The embassy also recommends its citizens to continue checking with other commercial airlines for upcoming flights that may be departing from Egypt.

Egypt has allowed a number of exceptional flights to depart to European and US destinations, as part of repatriation plans to help foreign nationals stranded in the country to return home. Egypt suspended international flights at all its airports from 19 to 31 March, in efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The government later extended the ban on international flights.

Share This Article