Moscow expects charter flights with Egyptian resorts to be resumed in the near future, some details remain, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told reporters on the sidelines of the SPIEF on Wednesday.
"The work continues, [there are] the finishing touches, because the decision, as you know, has been made, it was announced at the highest level. So now there are just some details left, including coronavirus restrictions," Bogdanov said. - "But of course, I hope that in the near future our tourists will fly to Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada".
He reminded that there are flights from Russia to Cairo. "From there, our tourists go to both Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada. But, of course, it would be convenient for everyone if there were direct flights not only from Moscow but also from other Russian cities," said the deputy minister.
On April 23, presidents Vladimir Putin and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi agreed on the resumption of flights between Russian cities and resorts on the Red Sea. In early May, the Russian Ambassador in Cairo Georgy Borisenko said that aviation authorities and security agencies should complete the whole range of necessary measures for the real resumption of air links.
Air traffic between Russia and Egypt was completely stopped in November 2015 after the crash of the Russian company Kogalymavia in Sinai, flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg. There were 217 passengers and seven crew members on board, all of whom died. The FSB qualified the incident as a terrorist attack.
In January 2018, Putin signed a decree resuming regular flights to Cairo, but charter flights to Egyptian resort areas are still closed. Over the years, the Egyptian side has improved the system of screening, control and inspection of passengers and luggage, as well as significantly upgraded the airport infrastructure.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS