Russia will make a decision on the resumption of air links with Egyptian resorts Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh after the visit of the Russian delegation of experts. This was reported to reporters on Wednesday in the operational headquarters for the fight against the new coronavirus infection.
"Based on the results of the visit of the Russian delegation, the operational headquarters will decide on the possibility of resuming air communication with Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh," the statement said.
Earlier, the Rospotrebnadzor reported that Russia will send an interdepartmental delegation to Egypt to assess the epidemic situation in the country, preventive measures in tourist resorts, as well as the capacity of laboratories and medical facilities.
Air traffic between Russia and Egypt was completely stopped in November 2015 after the crash of a plane of the Russian company Kogalymavia flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg in Sinai. There were 217 passengers and 7 crew members on board, all of whom died. The FSB qualified the incident as a terrorist attack.
In January 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to resume regular flights to Cairo, but charter flights to Egyptian resort areas remained closed. Over the years, the Egyptian side has improved the system of screening, control and inspection of passengers and baggage, as well as significantly upgraded the infrastructure of airports.
On the resumption of air links between Russian cities and resorts on the Red Sea Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi agreed on April 23 of this year. In early May, the Russian Ambassador to Cairo Georgy Borisenko said that aviation authorities and security bodies should complete the whole range of measures necessary for full restoration of air links. On July 8, the Russian president canceled the 2015 decree banning Russian airlines from flying to Egyptian resorts.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS