Cairo International Airport has suffered more than three million Egyptian pounds in losses due to a strike staged by workers on Wednesday, airport chairman Mahmoud Esmat said on Thursday.

The Egyptian aviation minister sacked 15 workers and suspended 30 others after they had staged a strike on a runway yesterday to press the management to settle a pay dispute.

The minister also referred a number of workers to prosecution on charges of compromising the airport's security as well as the passengers' safety.

Work has returned to normal and all workers adhered to their work schedule, the state news agency reported Esmat as saying.

A group of workers at the airport staged a strike for almost five hours on Wednesday as part of a wave of protests that started a few days ago.

The right to self-expression is guaranteed within certain legal regulations.

The aviation sector in Egypt has witnessed an escalation in disputes over wages during the past weeks after workers in Cairo, Hurghada and Borg al-Arab airports had staged protests