Travelers scramble in Cairo

The situation for travelers overwhelming Cairo International Airport was critical as foreign tourists and Egyptians scrambled to find outgoing flights. Most without reservations, between 1,500 and 2,000 travelers were looking for any available flight at the airport’s main departure terminals.

The Associated Press reports that airlines have canceled a number of flights, the United States is cautioning citizens against travel to Egypt, and tourism agencies are giving travelers the option to reschedule.

Egypt does not need to lose the tourism business, estimated at $10 billion a year. Egypt’s military has closed off access to the country’s treasured pyramids in Giza, normally a very busy tourist area.

Tour operators of the Association of French Tour Operators suspended all departures for this weekend to Egypt and travelers already on the ground are being diverted to less volatile areas.

Flickr photo by Unbathed