CAIRO (Reuters) - EgyptAir has decided to delay its take-off from Cairo airport after heavy rains and bad weather forecasts, the government said on Wednesday.
"It was decided to suspend the study tomorrow in all the governorates of Greater Cairo, Cairo and Giza (west of Cairo) and Qalubia (north of the capital), in all schools and universities," a statement said.
She attributed this to reports received by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly from the Meteorological Authority about the possibility of heavy rains on Wednesday in some areas in Greater Cairo more than what happened on Tuesday.
| Victory road in front of the monument in Cairo has drowned in rain water (social networking sites) |
The government decision came shortly after heavy rains piled up in areas of Cairo, some leading to the country's main airport.
In the same context, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement that "due to bad weather and heavy rains, it was decided to exempt customers traveling on its flights on Tuesday evening, which witnessed a delay, from any fines or differences to change the booking dates."
She attributed this to the inability to catch up with their flights because of the disruption of roads leading to the airport.
In turn, Cairo Air Port Company decided to close the terminal for domestic flights arriving at the airport "due to the accumulation of heavy rain water inside the terminal, and the terminal is reduced from the ground by several meters," according to local media.
| Water flooded one of Cairo's tunnels and prevented traffic (social networking sites) |
The heavy rains, especially in areas east of Cairo, led to the accumulation of water in several main streets, including a tunnel on the main road leading to Cairo airport, which caused the closure, according to witnesses.
Photos and videos of many of the water-soaked streets were spread on social media, especially in the areas of Nasr City, Heliopolis and Fifth Settlement.