On November 9, Russia resumed charter flights to Egyptian resorts - Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh.
Air service between Russia and Egypt was suspended in 2015 after the crash due to a terrorist attack of a Russian airliner over the Sinai Peninsula, which killed 224 people. Flights to Cairo resumed in 2018 after heightened security measures at the Egyptian capital's airport, and regular flights to the Red Sea resorts of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh were restored only last August. Now charter flights are also allowed.
Many Russian airlines have previously launched regular flights to these destinations. Smartavia and Royal Flight declared their plans to launch charter flights. The representative of S7, in its turn, reported to RIA Novosti in October that the airline has no plans to launch charters in addition to regular flights.
Vice President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry Dmitry Gorin said that with the resumption of charter flights from at least 35 regions of Russia new offers on transportation will appear and they will lead to flight cheapening as a part of tour package.
Representatives of the travel industry told RIA Novosti that the minimum cost of week charter tours from Russia to Egypt now ranges from 15 to 26 thousand rubles. In late October the head of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia Maya Lomidze said that thanks to charter flights the prices for tours dropped by 20%.
The first Intourist tour customers who have booked a tour at a charter price will depart from Moscow to Sharm el-Sheikh on November 9 at 01.35 am by of Egypt air, and from St. Petersburg travelers will fly to Hurghada on board of Azur air charter flight at 03.30 am. "Although the flight from Moscow is scheduled, tourists bought the tour at a charter price. We have tight blocks on these flights," the company clarified.
The Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt Gada Shalabi in April said that by the end of 2021 more than 1 million Russian tourists are expected in Egypt after the resumption of air links with Russia. She recalled that before the suspension of air links in Egypt accepted up to 3 million Russian tourists annually.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from RIA Novosti