Operations at Egypt's Cairo International Airport returned to normal on Saturday after the end of an air traffic controllers strike. The Minister of Civil Aviation, Lotfy Mostafa Kamal, has said that the total cost of the strike may exceed LE12 million pounds.
“We don’t have an exact figure for the actual losses but I expect the loss to be huge. The airport wasn’t functioning for 36 hours. It might exceed 12 million pounds,” Kamal said on Saturday.
The Minister announced that Egypt’s National Air Navigation Company will be completely restructured in order to respond to workers’ demands.
“We’re thinking of having an international think tank to help us develop the company, raise its efficiency and protect the rights of workers,” Kamal said on Saturday.
Air traffic controllers began to strike late night on Wednesday. On Thursday, flights in and out of Egypt's main airport were severely disrupted because of the strike.
They called for the restoration of a promised bonus which was cancelled when other staff protested against it.
They had also protested in 2004 under the regime of former President Hosni Mubarak. However, the government ignored their demands, despite worsening terms of employment for air traffic controllers.
More than 200 flights have been delayed – in some cases for more than 15 hours -since the slowdown began Wednesday night. The strikes reduced traffic to and from the airport by 80 percent.
The airport witnessed chaotic scenes in recent days, with many travelers sitting on the floor as they waited long hours for flights and some arguing with officials who gave out little information. There was a backlog of luggage on the conveyer belts and long lines of vehicles dropping off passengers at terminals.
Officials at the Cairo International Airport said that foreign flight companies have not yet sent demands for compensation, but officials expect to receive them within hours.
There has been a wave of labor unrest across around the country since the beginning of the 25 January uprising which toppled President Hosni Mubarak. Striking workers and professionals have demanded better pay along with the replacement of company or union heads, most of whom were appointed under Mubarak.
