Monday, January 31, 2011

First Canadian flight out of Cairo arrives safely in Frankfurt



An Air Canada flight dispatched to transport Canadians out of Egypt has touched down safely in Frankfurt.

The flight carrying 210 passengers was one of two planes scheduled to depart Monday. The group was a relative handful of the roughly 6,500 Canadians believed to be in Egypt.

Each of the Canadian passengers was expected to pay $400 to get on board the flight to Germany.

Some passengers at the airport were told by an Egyptian official that they would have to collectively pay $2,000 before they were permitted to board a bus that would take them to them to plane, CTV reported.

Some of them, so fatigued with their ordeal, broke into tears. But they passed a hat and one passenger apparently contributed the lion's share of the bribe. That done, they were permitted to exit the airport to begin their journey home.

Foreign Affairs officials have contacted the Egyptian Ambassador in Ottawa to raise concerns about additional fees charged to release the plane. The department said it understood the $2,000 to be an additional fee charged for luggage.

Toronto resident Bill Parent, who managed to get out of Cairo on board a separate Lufthansa flight with wife Diane, described hearing gunshots in the neighbourhood where the couple was staying.

Parent described in glowing terms how the building's caretakers “took on the role of the police” and protected the occupants.

“They took very, very good care of all of us,” he said. “I'm so impressed with the people who are charged with that responsibility. They're poor, but boy, did they ever have heart and they're wonderful and loyal people.”

Communications were also problematic. “People are calling me from Cairo all night long and they cannot get through to the Canadian embassy because there is no answer,” said Adel Iksander, the president of the Egyptian Canadian Friendship Association.

“There is no Internet in Cairo,” Mr. Iksander said. “And some of the landlines are not working. It might be the embassy itself is too busy to answer or there is a line problem. But the Canadian government should announce this.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon told reporters on Monday the phone lines are the problem. “The embassy, for obviously reasons, is also not responsible for the telecommunications network in Egypt. I think everybody understands that,” he said.

Cellphones are working despite the protests that have affected other forms of communication and Mr. Cannon said anyone who is trapped in the country, or has family members who are trapped, should contact the Canadian embassy in Cairo at 20 (2) 2791-8700 or place a collect call to the emergency centre at the department of Foreign Affairs and International trade in Ottawa at 613-996-8885 or 1-613-943-1055 or, if the internet is available, send an e-mail to sos@international.gc.ca.

But some Canadians who want to get out of Egypt said those numbers have been nothing more than a source of frustration. While they connect with the Foreign Affairs department, callers are put on hold for more than eight minutes, afterwhich time they are forced to leave a voicemail. One woman from British Columbia said both she and her partner, who is in Egypt and wants to come home, left messages for the department two days ago that have gone unanswered.

Mr. Cannon said the centre had received 4,900 calls over the course of the last several hours. About 200 of those people who managed to get through to Foreign Affairs officials at the centre will be flown out of the country on Monday, the minister added.

Communications “have been difficult since the beginning of all of this uprising,” Mr. Cannon said. “We are, I think, working in difficult circumstances. But we are able to reach the Canadians and let them know when their departure time is and where it is.” 

Those who depart on one of the government-arranged flights will be taken to Frankfurt, Germany, and will have to find their way home from there. The government will pay $400 toward the cost of the flight from Egypt to Frankfurt with passengers expected to pay any additional amount.

The department plans to evacuate another 600 people on Tuesday. Roughly 250 more Canadians who have been contacted have indicated their intention to stay in the country, at least for the time being, said Mr. Cannon.

The government has come to an agreement with other countries including the United States and Britain who are also trying to fly their nationals out of Egypt, Mr. Cannon said. Any empty seats on the planes dispatched by those countries can be occupied by other westerners who are trying to flee.

The Australians, for instance, are flying people, including Canadians, out of Alexandria on Tuesday.

As to why the Canadian government has not demanded that Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak steps down, Mr. Cannon said it is not up to the government of Canada to get involved in the internal politics of Egypt.

“We have called upon this government, the Mubarak government, to in place both economic as well as democratic reforms,” he said. But “Canadians would not like to see foreign governments involve themselves in Canadian internal affairs. In the same manner we are respecting the sovereignty of this country.”

With a report from The Canadian Press

Where to look for more information

Canadian citizens in Egypt wishing to be evacuated should contact the Canadian embassy in Cairo at 20 (2) 2791-8700 or make a collect call to the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Emergency Operations Centre at 613-996-8885 or the new number, 613-943-1055.

Friends and relatives in Canada seeking information on Canadian citizens believed to be in Egypt should contact the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Emergency Operations Centre by calling, toll-free, 1-800-606-5499 or the new number 1-800-387-3124.

The website of the Canadian embassy in Cairo provides local numbers to call from Cairo and Ottawa to obtain information about the charter flights out of Egypt that are being arranged by the Canadian government.

People dialing the Cairo number after hours will be put through to the DFAIT emergency centre in Ottawa. But they should be prepared to wait. There is a backlog on the emergency line.

The website of the department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada advises against non-essential travel to Egypt. It also provides a place for Canadians in Egypt to register with Canadian authorities as well as contact information for consular staff in Egypt.

The Egyptian embassy in Ottawa has a web address but the actual website does not appear to be operational. The Egyptian consulate in Montreal does have a working website but there is nothing posted relating to the current state of emergency.

There are a number of associations for Egyptians in Canada but none have posted information about the current situation of unrest. That may change in the hours and days to come. Those associations are:

The Egyptian Canadian Friendship Association

The Egyptian Students’ Association of North America

The Egyptian Community Canada


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