Egyptian actor and rapper Mohamed Ramadan has gone public over his dispute with suspended pilot Ashraf Aboul-Yosr, who was dismissed after a video of Ramadan in the cockpit of a plane went viral last year in October.
Ramadan went on record as saying that the plane he was in for the video was a private plane which belonged to a private Egyptian company.
The Civil Aviation Authority suspended the pilot and co-pilot from work and referred them to urgent interrogation for violating the rules of international and Egyptian civil aviation, potentially endangering passengers.
Aboul-Yosr reportedly demanded LE9.5 million in compensation on Tuesday after Ramadan earlier on Sunday expressed his willingness to compensate the pilot for any damages resulting from the video’s fallout.
In a Facebook post, Ramadan explained that “Captain Ashraf dispatched his attorney, who met with my accountant, and submitted to him his estimated calculations, which include his pension and other claims, so that the total amount he wants is LE9.5 million as compensation.”
Ramadan said he would leave judgement to those criticizing him, and claimed that if they view this demand as reasonable he’d do it with no complaint.
The rapper added he had even talked to a friend, the Chairman of a private aviation company, over providing Aboul-Yosr with a job as a pilot – Aboul-Yosr declined, stating that as he was suspended the penalty against him prevents him from practicing any profession related to aviation for life.
“I didn’t let him down, and I’ve offered the solutions I have,” Ramadan said.
Though Ramadan deleted the video off his Facebook account, it remains available on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3ibiR4hahR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Aboul-Yosr, however claims he did not ask Ramadan for any money.
The plane, reportedly of the Cessna Citation family, was making a special trip to Riyadh to transport Ramadan, his band, and two friends to a concert in Riyadh at the invitation of the Saudi Entertainment Authority.
According to aviation sources, Ramadan entered the cabin and sat in the co-pilot’s seat while the plane was flying on autopilot mode. The crew’s mistake, the sources said, was in allowing Ramadan to enter the cabin at all and film inside, violating regulations.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
