Russia Hopes Flights To Egyptian Resorts Will Resume In Coming Months - Ambassador

(@FahadShabbir)

Russia Hopes Flights to Egyptian Resorts Will Resume in Coming Months - Ambassador

Russia hopes to resume flights to the Egyptian resorts of Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada in the coming months, Ambassador in Cairo Georgy Borisenko said on Monday

CAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd May, 2021) Russia hopes to resume flights to the Egyptian resorts of Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada in the coming months, Ambassador in Cairo Georgy Borisenko said on Monday.

In November 2015, the air traffic between Russia and Egypt was suspended in the wake of the fatal crash of a Russian passenger aircraft over the Sinai Peninsula. In 2018, Russia resumed regular flights to Cairo, but charter flights to Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh are still under a ban. On April 23, The Kremlin confirmed that Egypt and Russia "reached an agreement in principle on the full restoration of air traffic," and, in particular, the resumption of flights to the two resorts,

"Now it is necessary that the aviation authorities and security agencies complete the entire set of necessary measures for the real restoration of air traffic. Following the instructions of the Presidents of the Russian Federation [Vladimir Putin] and Egypt [Abdel Fattah Sisi], the aviation authorities and security agencies are already working on this issue. We hope that air traffic will be restored in the coming months," Borisenko said during a press conference in Hurghada.

He noted that the airports of Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh have boosted security measures, and the majority of tourism employees in these resorts have been vaccinated against COVID-19 at least with the first shot.

However, while the epidemiological situation in Egypt is stable, the virus itself is unpredictable, the diplomat went on, citing an example of India, recently hit by a sharp increase in coronavirus cases.

In this regard, the resumption of flights between the two countries is largely dependent on the COVID-19 situation, he explained.

"Nevertheless, we hope that soon Russian planes will be able to fly to Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh. Russian citizens are very much looking forward to this opportunity, the moment when they can enjoy the beautiful Egyptian sun and the Red Sea," Borisenko said.

In Hurghada, the diplomat met with the governor of Egypt's Red Sea area, Amr Mohamed Hanafy Mahmoud. According to the ambassador, the officials discussed cooperation between Russia and the Egyptian governorate in various sectors, besides tourism.

Borisenko recalled that Russian inspectors have repeatedly visited the airport of Hurghada, and all remarks and comments they made about the work to be done have so far been taken into account.

"We hope that the airport of Hurghada is in full readiness to receive Russian tourists, including in terms of protective measures against the coronavirus infection," he noted.

The airports of Egyptian resorts have been inspected by several delegations of Russian aviation security specialists. The last check was completed in early February.