Egyptian Travel Agents Association (ETAA) of the country’s Chamber of Commerce held a meeting with a number of tourism and aviation companies to identify the parties that caused the dispute between Al-Masria Universal Airlines and a Lebanese travel agent.
This dispute has caused a crisis for some Lebanese flights to Sharm El Sheikh late April.
Member of ETAA board of directors Nader Ayyad affirmed the solid relationship between Egypt and Lebanon.
“The ETAA has held an urgent meeting in light with the cancellation of flights by Lebanese tourists to Sharm El Sheikh last month,” Ayyad said in a statement of which Asharq al-Awsat received a copy.
The meeting was attended by travel agents and aviation companies in Egypt and aimed at finding out the causes of the crisis, the statement said, pointing out Egyptian companies were proved not to violate their contracts with their Lebanese counterparts.
It pointed to the agreement between Civil Aviation General Manager at Rafic Hariri International Airport Mohammed Shehab al-Din with and the Egyptian airlines, which stipulates that planes carrying tourists don’t take off from Lebanon before entirely paying dues.
Ayyad said that April 26’s flight has seen an agreement with Al-Masria Universal Airlines on the need to operate a trip to return Lebanese tourists.
“The ETAA has coordinated with Al-Masria Universal Airlines to return tourists and stress on Egyptian companies to hold their responsibility and collect the value of the trip,” the statement read.
It explained that in this case, if any company fails to pay the due amount for the passengers’ return trip, they will remain in the country until the money is paid.
Al-Masria Universal Airlines provided documents to the ETAA, showing that the Lebanese agent didn’t commit to paying the company’s dues, which prompted the Egyptian company to cancel flights from Sharm El Sheikh to Lebanon for this agent only.
ETAA pointed out that all Egyptian airlines have completed all the remaining contracts with the Lebanese travel agents until the end of the holidays, stressing the full respect and appreciation for all the Lebanese tourism companies and the Lebanese people.
