Lavrov Expects Russia Will Soon Resume Charter Flights To Egyptian Resorts

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th April, 2021) Air traffic between Russia and Egypt's resorts may resume shortly, as a lot of work has been done to ensure safety of such flights since the 2015 Russian plane crash, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Egypt's Al-Ahram newspaper.

In February, Egyptian media reported that direct flights from Moscow to Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh were expected to resume from March 28 following a five-year pause. The Russian civil aviation authority did not confirm the information. The reports came after Russian aviation safety experts visited Egypt from January 27-February 3 to inspect airports of the resort towns.

"In recent years, relevant experts of the two countries have done a big joint work in this direction. I expect that charter flights from Russia to Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada will resume shortly," Lavrov said in an interview ahead of his visit to Egypt.

The minister confirmed Russia's interest in restarting air traffic with the Egyptian resorts, noting good prospects for tourism cooperation.

"Egyptian resorts have long been a favorite holiday destination for many Russians. For Egypt, the inflow of foreign tourists to the country is an important source of budget replenishment," he added.

Russia suspended civilian air traffic to Egypt in November 2015 after a bomb brought down a Russian plane after its takeoff from Sharm El-Sheikh, killing all 224 people aboard. In 2018, Russia resumed regular flights to Cairo, but charter flights to Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh are still under a ban.