Egypt enlists British consultancy firm to improve airport security

A British security consultancy has signed an agreement with Egyptian authorities to address security deficiencies at Egypt's international airports, as the country tries to restore its status as a popular tourism destination following a bombing aboard a Russian jet last October. 

The deal between Control Risks Group and the Egyptian airports holding company was announced as Egypt's tourism sector reels from a series of disasters, including the 24 October explosion aboard a Russian airbus, and the subsequent cancellation of flights to Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh resort by Russia and the UK.

The initiative will attempt to restore Egypt's tattered reputation among international visitors, after US, Russian and British authorities all concluded that a bomb on the plane had caused the explosion that killed all 224 people on board and that passengers at the airport were able to pay bribes to bypass luggage security checks.

The deal was signed by the chairman of the Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation, Ismail Abu al-Izz, and Andreas Carleton-Smith, the Middle East and North Africa regional chief executive of the Control Risks Group LLC.

The firm specialises in political, integrity and security risks all over the world, and has 36 international branches.

The ministers of civil aviation and tourism, Hossam Kamal and Hisham Zazou, were also present at the high-profile signing.

Kamal said that the agreement, first announced in late December, will see the British company provide advice and consultancy to the Egyptian government to enhance security at Egypt's airports.

Work during the first phase will take place at the country's three international airports - Cairo, Sharm el-Sheikh and Marsa Alam - and will assess and implement mandatory procedures for personnel training and hardware equipment provision.

Kamal said the work will not exceed six months and that the tourism support fund will finance the estimated cost of around $700,000.

Zazou said that the agreement would make a positive impact on the tourist industry in Egypt, which has suffered in recent years.

Since the ousting of former president Hosni Mubarak in 2011, tourism has steadily declined.

The tourism industry lost more than $280mn worth of revenues each month since the explosion, later claimed by the Islamic State group.

According to the Ministry of Tourism, revenues fell by 15 percent to $6.1 billion in the year 2015.

One in every 10 Egyptian relies on the industry for their livelihoods, but the number of tourists visiting annually from 2010 to 2015 dropped from 15 million to 9.3 million.

"There was a time when I made a thousand (Egyptian) pounds ($125) a day,” said Ibrahim, a camel owner who offers rides to tourists, to AFP. “Now I'm lucky if I earn a hundred."