Egypt hires Control Risks for airport security checks
Egypt has hired global consultancy company Control Risks to assess security in its airports, following the crash of a plane over the Sinai Peninsula, which killed all on board.
The country has announced that it has found no evidence of terrorism linked with the crash in October, in spite of Russia claiming the plane was brought down by a bomb.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bomb, and said it was hidden in a soft drinks can.
The crash hit Egypt’s tourism board hard, with airlines suspending flights to Sharm El-Sheikh.
“Ensuring safe and secure flights for everyone travelling to Egypt whether for business or pleasure, is a top priority of the Egyptian government. This is why we have taken immediate actions to ensure we possess a world-class, gold standard security,” said tourism minister Hisham Zaazou.
Control Risks will begin security assessments at Cairo and Sharm El-Sheikh, before reviewing other Egyptian airports.
The crash has cost Egypt about 2.2 billion Egyptian pounds ($280.97 million) a month in direct losses, with tourism receipts expected to fall by 10%.
The country earned about $7.2 billion in tourism revenues last year, a decline from around $12.5 billion before the 2011 uprising, which saw a period of political instability that scared away tourists and foreign investors.
Carleton-Smith, regional Control Risks CEO, anticipated the reviews of both Cairo and Sharm al-Sheikh airports taking between two-and-a-half and three months.
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