Egypt Operates Flight to Repatriate Stranded Egyptians in Germany

On Sunday, Air Cairo, an airline partly owned by EgyptAir, has operated an exceptional flight to Germany's Frankfurt to repatriate stranded Egyptians there.

The flight comes within the framework of government's plan to repatriate Egyptians stranded abroad after the suspension of international flights on March 19 as part of state's anti-coronavirus efforts.

The flight is scheduled to land in Marsa Alam airport at 6 PM Sunday, according to a statement issued by the company.

Since the suspension of international aviation on March 19, Egypt operated many exceptional flights to repatriate thousands of stranded Egyptians.

On Friday, the Egyptian Minister of Immigration and Expatriate Affairs Nabila Makram said that the stranded Egyptians, include citizens who have been on business trips and tourism trips, were visiting relatives, or students who had to leave the dorms and have nowhere to stay.

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi noted last week that around 3,500 Egyptians are still stranded abroad over coronavirus, affirming that authorities are committed to bringing them back despite "hard circumstances."

It is noteworthy that Egypt's decision to suspend aviation began on March 19, except for domestic and cargo flights. Also, tourists who had arrived before the date were allowed to complete their program, and leave on scheduled dates beforehand.

A number of tourists requested to remain in Egypt as COVID-19 outbreak took its toll on their countries. Hence, Egyptian authorities approved as long as they go through coronavirus tests instructing the travel agencies to ensure the visitors' visas duration is extended by the Ministry of Interior, and informing their respective countries of their desire.