Another balloon belonging to Sky Cruises – preferred carrier for Thomas Cook for several years – crashed into Nile in 2011
Egyptians stand by the site where the hot air balloon plunged to the ground in Luxor. Photograph: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images
The hot air balloon crash that killed 19 tourists, including two Britons and a UK resident in Luxor, Egypt, was the second crash involving the company Sky Cruises in the space of 18 months.
Another balloon belonging to Sky Cruises – which has been the preferred carrier for the travel agent Thomas Cook for several years – crashed into the Nile in October 2011 (video). No one was killed, but the balloon hit a boat and was left floating on the river with passengers reporting bruising.
It is understood that while the pilot involved in the 2011 crash no longer works for Sky Cruises, the company remained the preferred carrier for Blue Sky travel agents, and by extension Thomas Cook, whom they represent in Egypt.
Representatives of Thomas Cook in Eg ypt referred press inquiries to the head office in London. But the Luxor manager of Blue Sky denied it should have changed carriers after the 2011 incident.
"Sky Cruises are the highest one on the market," insisted Kamal el-Kordy, Blue Sky's Upper Egypt area manager.
"We [were] worried, of course. But we have to follow the rules. They [Sky Cruises] have all the documents from all the civil aviation control. What can we do? We are not engineers and they have all the paperwork according to the law."
He added: "All of the excursion companies we use satisfy the health and safety demands of all the major British travel companies. We work according to the laws in their countries."
Tuesday's crash in Luxor (video) raised questions about safety standards, and all flights have been suspended pending an investigation. There are fears for the future of Egypt's ballooning industry, despite its popularity with tourists.
The Britons Yvonne Rennie, 48, Joe Bampton, 40, and Bampton's Hungarian-born partner, Suzanna Gyetvai, 34, died in the tragedy. It appears to have been the worst accident of its kind in history.
Rennie's husband, Michael, 49, was being treated on Tuesday night at Luxor international hospital, where a spokeswoman said he was in a stable condition. He and the pilot, named locally as Momin Mourad Ali, were the only survivors. They, along with seven other passengers, including the other three British-based tourists, are believed to have jumped out of the balloon to escape the flames. Ali suffered 70% burns and was also being treated in hospital in Luxor.
The other tourists – nine from Hong Kong, four Japanese, two French and a Belgian – all died in the explosion.
Bampton and Gyetvai were from Clapham, south London, and both worked for Lots Road Auctions in Chelsea, west London. Bampton was an expert valuer in rugs, carpets and antiques, and Gyetvai was a general valuer. Both were also artists, Gyetvai creating works in a variety of media under her professional name, Zsi Chimera.
The Rennies, from Perth, Scotland, were described as "very nice people" who only spent the weekends together owing to work commitments and so were looking forward to going on holiday together. Yvonne Rennie was a medical receptionist, and her husband works in the construction industry.
Representatives of Sky Cruises declined to speculate on the causes for the crash. "The [investigation] committee is the one that's going to decide on what happened. They have taken the witness statements, and they will decide. The fate is with God," said Captain Hany Salah, Sky Cruises' operations manager.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/27/egyptian-hot-air-balloon-company
Another balloon belonging to Sky Cruises – which has been the preferred carrier for the travel agent Thomas Cook for several years – crashed into the Nile in October 2011 (video). No one was killed, but the balloon hit a boat and was left floating on the river with passengers reporting bruising.
It is understood that while the pilot involved in the 2011 crash no longer works for Sky Cruises, the company remained the preferred carrier for Blue Sky travel agents, and by extension Thomas Cook, whom they represent in Egypt.
Representatives of Thomas Cook in Eg ypt referred press inquiries to the head office in London. But the Luxor manager of Blue Sky denied it should have changed carriers after the 2011 incident.
"Sky Cruises are the highest one on the market," insisted Kamal el-Kordy, Blue Sky's Upper Egypt area manager.
"We [were] worried, of course. But we have to follow the rules. They [Sky Cruises] have all the documents from all the civil aviation control. What can we do? We are not engineers and they have all the paperwork according to the law."
He added: "All of the excursion companies we use satisfy the health and safety demands of all the major British travel companies. We work according to the laws in their countries."
Tuesday's crash in Luxor (video) raised questions about safety standards, and all flights have been suspended pending an investigation. There are fears for the future of Egypt's ballooning industry, despite its popularity with tourists.
The Britons Yvonne Rennie, 48, Joe Bampton, 40, and Bampton's Hungarian-born partner, Suzanna Gyetvai, 34, died in the tragedy. It appears to have been the worst accident of its kind in history.
Rennie's husband, Michael, 49, was being treated on Tuesday night at Luxor international hospital, where a spokeswoman said he was in a stable condition. He and the pilot, named locally as Momin Mourad Ali, were the only survivors. They, along with seven other passengers, including the other three British-based tourists, are believed to have jumped out of the balloon to escape the flames. Ali suffered 70% burns and was also being treated in hospital in Luxor.
The other tourists – nine from Hong Kong, four Japanese, two French and a Belgian – all died in the explosion.
Bampton and Gyetvai were from Clapham, south London, and both worked for Lots Road Auctions in Chelsea, west London. Bampton was an expert valuer in rugs, carpets and antiques, and Gyetvai was a general valuer. Both were also artists, Gyetvai creating works in a variety of media under her professional name, Zsi Chimera.
The Rennies, from Perth, Scotland, were described as "very nice people" who only spent the weekends together owing to work commitments and so were looking forward to going on holiday together. Yvonne Rennie was a medical receptionist, and her husband works in the construction industry.
Representatives of Sky Cruises declined to speculate on the causes for the crash. "The [investigation] committee is the one that's going to decide on what happened. They have taken the witness statements, and they will decide. The fate is with God," said Captain Hany Salah, Sky Cruises' operations manager.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/27/egyptian-hot-air-balloon-company
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