Emirates chief says Egypt remains important market

The Middle East’s biggest airline says it is reviewing security procedures in Egypt but remains committed to flying there as suspicions grow that a bomb brought down a Russian airliner in the Sinai Peninsula.

Emirates airline President Tim Clark told reporters Sunday at the start of the Dubai Airshow that Egypt is “an enormously important market” to the carrier and that it is important that it maintains its operations there.

He said Dubai-based Emirates is reviewing its procedures relating to security, ground handling and access to aircraft while they are on the ground in Egypt.

Emirates operates two daily roundtrip flights linking Cairo with Dubai, the Middle East’s commercial hub. It does not fly to Sharm Al Shaikh, the departure airport for the doomed Russian airliner.

Also during the air show, Sergei Chemezov, Russia’s chief executive of state-owned defence conglomerate Rostec, said his country is considering supplying air defence systems to Egypt.