Egypt: first commercial flight from Qatar to Egypt in three and a half years

Posted On 18 January 2021

Number of times this article was read : 67
Influencing the influencers: Some of The North Africa Journal's subscribers
From Shield & Alert:
Senegal at the Center of Another Geopolitical FightMali: Al Qaeda attacks rebel convoy in the Ouagadou forestFrom a Russian Grain Export Onslaught to a Ban on French Cattle: Agricultural Trade Between France and Algeria in StandstillNiger and Algeria recall their ambassadors over undocumented migrantsSenegal: Disgraced President leaves office to find shelter in MarrakeshMorocco: Health workers go on strike, demand implementation of reformsAlgeria: President announces early election, no one knows whyAlgeria: Beware of forgery. New law seeks to reduce fraud and white collar crimeMorocco: Price of butane gas to increase by 25% in AprilUS-Niger relations face uncertainty, with Niamey’s pivot to RussiaBrief: Tunisia: The Lazy GovernorsAlgeria: Opposition leader Zoubida Assoul announces presidential bidAgriculture: Spanish farmers say Moroccan strawberries carry virus, as Morocco surpasses Spain as tomato supplier to EUBloody Sunday: The indiscriminate killing of Muslim and Catholic worshipers in Burkina FasoNiger and Mali up their anti-Western positions, lash out at France and USNiger: Two soldiers killed in insurgent attack in DiffaMali: Katiba Mecina insurgents raid military camp in Niono, repelledSenegal’s outgoing president prepares for disgraced exitAlgeria-Morocco Competition for Regional Influence Shifts to Economic AffairsLibya: Bank and power company employees detained over separate corruption affairs
1198 issue: week ending 22 January 2021

The first direct flights since 2017 between Qatar and its former rivals Egypt and the UAE took to the skies on Monday, following the end of a regional crisis. Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) joined Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in cutting ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of being too close to Iran and of backing Islamic extremists, charges Doha denies. The quartet agreed to heal the rift at a Gulf summit on January 5 in Saudi Arabia, after a flurry of diplomatic activity by outgoing US President Donald Trump’s administration.

The first commercial flight from Qatar to Egypt in three and a half years, an EgyptAir service to Cairo, took off from windswept Doha airport. It was followed shortly after by the arrival of an Air Arabia flight from Sharjah in the UAE.

The resumption of flights from Doha to Cairo will simplify travel for the large contingent of Egyptians living in Qatar. As many as 300,000 Egyptians call Qatar home, according to official statistics, but many were unable to travel home during the crisis. In May 2020, frustrated Egyptians protested outside the compound housing Egypt’s then-empty embassy.

Following the demonstration, 18 repatriation flights operated via neutral Oman to comply with Cairo’s ban on direct air traffic. A Qatar Airways plane was due to also make the trip to Cairo later Monday. Flights between Doha and Saudi Arabia, which has also opened its land border to Qatar, resumed on January 11. The row complicated regional travel, divided families and raised costs faced by Qatari businesses.

Mustafa Ahmed, 38, an Egyptian technical engineer, said he was “very happy”. “With direct flights, life will be easier, especially for families and children, avoiding the torment of changing airports and planes and waiting for hours for transit flights,” he told AFP. Egyptians in Qatar work in a number of sectors including education, healthcare and engineering. Thousands of Qatar’s majority-expatriate workforce, however, have lost their jobs as a result of a downturn caused by the coronavirus epidemic.

AFP
Other Articles in this Week's Issue<< Tunisia: Chaos and unrest in several cities, troops deployedTunisia: Economic and social despair fuel unrest in Tunisia >>
The North Africa Journal's WhatsApp Group
.

Most Recent Stories from the Region

Senegal at the Center of Another Geopolitical Fight

Senegal at the Center of Another Geopolitical Fight

By Arezki Daoud: France is experiencing an unprecedented backlash in the Sahel and in West Africa.  Disastrous post-colonial policies forced the people of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to expel French troops and diplomats, reducing Paris' entrenched but...

From a Russian Grain Export Onslaught to a Ban on French Cattle: Agricultural Trade Between France and Algeria in Standstill

From a Russian Grain Export Onslaught to a Ban on French Cattle: Agricultural Trade Between France and Algeria in Standstill

Agricultural trade between France and Algeria is experiencing challenges that are primarily affecting French exporters. From the onslaught of the Russian grain exports to Algeria, essentially displacing French exporters, to Algeria banning French cattle due to EHDV disease, not all is well between Algeria and France in the agricultural trade sector. The most affected parties in this situation are French producers and exporters, who are looking for new initiatives to fight back.

Written by The North Africa Journal

The North Africa Journal is a leading English-language publication focused on North Africa. The Journal covers primarily the Maghreb region and expands its general coverage to the Sahel, Egypt, and beyond, when events in those regions affect the broader North Africa geography. The Journal does not have any affiliation with any institution and has been independent since its founding in 1996. Our position is to always bring our best analysis of events affecting the region, and remain as neutral as humanly possible. Our coverage is not limited to one single topic, but ranges from economic and political affairs, to security, defense, social and environmental issues. We rely on our full staff analysts and editors to bring you best-in-class analysis. We also work with sister company MEA Risk LLC, to leverage the presence on the ground of a solid network of contributors and experts. Information on MEA Risk can be found at www.MEA-Risk.com.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This