EgyptAir woos Nigerian travellers with cheaper fares, VOA, free PCR tests, waivers

To encourage more passengers from Nigeria travel to Cairo, Egypt and beyond, EgyptAir says it is offering cheaper airfares, waive penalties for rescheduling of travel date, refund and change in reservations.

This is just as the airline has concluded plans to give visa-on-arrival and free PCR Covid-19 test to Nigerian tourist travellers to Egypt.

In an interview with reporters in Lagos on the arrival of EgyptAir’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to the Lagos airport, the General Manager, EgyptAir in Nigeria, Mr Muharram Abdelrahman says EgyptAir understands the huge budget for travellers having to pay for PCR tests in and out of Nigeria and to this end, the airline thought it wise to reduce this budget with pocket-friendly fares.

“As EgyptAir, we gave all facilities to travel agencies, now if anyone needs to issue his ticket or reschedule his travel date, we are no longer collecting anything, it is free. We waive the penalty for a refund; we waive the penalty to change the reservation to encourage more people to come”.

“We are now offering reduced fares without any restrictions if you come and fly with EgyptAir, and we will give you a very rate that is good because to have a PCR it will cost money and have another PCR at the destination will cost money and all the PCR’s you can add it to the budget of the travel and it will be high, so we need to encourage people and so we are offering a very reduced price to the people.”

Abdelrahman emphasized that the airline takes seriously the health and safety of its passengers, airport and its crew, adding that passengers going to Cairo were expected to have their PCR test 72 hours before travel.

He also explained that the airline was also abreast with the requirements of each the country they operate to as regards the covid-19 health protocols to assist its passengers to enjoy seamless airport, departure and arrival formalities.

“You know, we have two categories of passengers, one, those going to Cairo and those going beyond Cairo. For those heading to Cairo should have PCR test 72 hours before their journey but those going beyond Cairo, we are applying the policy instruction of entering the country he/she is going, for example, if he is going to London and British is not requiring PCR, it is okay, we find out the destinations and find out the instructions that apply to the passengers and we carrying 81 per cent beyond Cairo and about 20-21 per cent to Cairo on our flight”.

He said for aviation and tourism to thrive in this period of the pandemic, people needed to be encouraged and given the assurance that it was safe and secured to fly even with the covid-19.