Hi Peter, thank you for your concern and you have no need to worry because we at G.A.S.E. have all the overflights, permits and of course avgas equipped destinations sorted for Andy and Sam's route. In Egypt you have to file IFR but fly as CVFR (controlled VFR) having to stay on airways at a minimum of 8,500ft. Luxor does not have avgas anymore and hasn't for over a year. Aswan does have avgas through prior arrangement through us at GASE...and at a cheaper cost than anywhere else. October - HEOC is our home airfield and we can say that it is completely free handling/airport fees and hangarage there as well, only with GASE. We are also the only Overflight/clearance/handling and hosting agency that does not charge for our services. Andy and Sam are going to get the best service at the best prices via ourselves and our large network of like-minded contacts and we are proud to be associated with their flight :-)
Flying in Egypt is easier than flying in the UK 
GASE have helped me when I flew to Egypt in February this year. Everything went smoothly and apart from the avgas price, it was not expensive at all. Aviation infrastructure in Egypt is rather good and ATC quality is comparable to Europe. I almost felt bad for not paying any fees at my airport of entry (Port Said).
If you plan to stop in Singapore, Malaysia, or Thailand, let me know, I can help with local knowledge and contacts. This is my back yard!
Also consider Aqabar, Jordan as an alternate to Egypt should things get too hairy. :-) I have stopped there a few times, great service and Petra down the road is a must see after Giza, and Luxor.
Cheers. E
Hello Eddie,
Egypt makes the headlines here in Europe because of the political events occuring in your country. Are there restrictions or specific dangers for GA flights and pilots? Both in the air and on the ground? Forgive the naive question.
Hello TThierry, Unfortunately most of the press and media try to make things look different from what they really are when you think of the area of Egypt and you find the media speaking about a fight in 1 street or an area that don't represent 0.001% of the area of Egypt you will definitely feel it
anyhow, nothing have changed during the past 2-3 years regarding GA flying in Egypt, it's a kind of it's own that is different from other countries or areas ... as mentioned earlier by Eddie, stick to airways , 8500 or above, and a serviceable transponder If you plan your trip well and know the inns and outs I am sure flying in Egypt could be comparable to flying in Europe financial wise for some who think it's very expensive to fly down here .
Hi TThierry,
as my colleague Ahmed has rightly said, the view you get of Egypt from the media in the west is slightly biased and as is the wont of media types, they will always focus on the most 'newsworthy' points, which generally means the violence or whatever political side they deem to take.
Yes, in July and August things were very bad here and we at G.A.S.E. were re-routing flights through Jordan as we couldn't guarantee safety on the ground in Egypt. But following the security forces efforts to rid the country of the terrorists we can safely say that the airports in Egypt are very safe, safer than most because of the heightened security presence, and the general feeling in Egypt now is that it will be better in the future.
I have travelled around Cairo over the last few days and can say that it felt like the Cairo of old...pre June 30th, or even better, pre failed recent government, the only difference being the increase in military vehicles and more respect for the police...the traffic actually stops for traffic cops directing traffic!
But, we do know the risks, after all we live and work in an area of the world where some factions want chaos and anarchy, so we always take pilots when they visit here to places we know will be safe, but where in the world is truly safe nowadays? We go out of the way to make our visiting pilots have an enjoyable time, whilst making sure they stay safe. GA, as Ahmed described, is really unlike anything known in the west. A few powered gliders and non powered ones, a few microlights at a new Red Sea resort and the odd privately owned Cessna here and there.
The whole GA population of aircraft in Egypt would be equivalent the population of aircraft at one decent sized GA airfield in the UK. The skies here are for either the military or the airlines and if you want to fly a light aircarft then you will have to follow the same rules as the big guys. That is why we created GASE and why, in just 3 years, we have changed a lot of the things that caused so much hassle to visiting gA pilots before us. I am sure Andy and Sam will have great reports following their visit to Cairo and from their flight through Egypt and maybe it will tempt other GA pilots to make the trip over the Med to this great country, which is near enough back to normal for aviators :-)
[edited to add blank lines between paragraphs :) ]
That's a superb site, EAL.
If one didn't have to pass through a whole lot of dodgy countries that rob aviators, I'd be flying to Thailand
