Exclusive: Russian flights to return to Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada end-February

Mohamed Samir
2 Min Read
In late January, a Russian security delegation inspected airports in Egyptian Red Sea resort cities of Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada in preparation for the resumption of Russian flights to Egypt.

Russian flights to Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada airports to resume by end of February, sources close to Egyptian Civil Aviation have told Daily News Egypt.

In late January, a Russian security delegation inspected Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada airports in preparation for the resumption of Russian flights to Egypt.

During their visit, the delegation followed up on security and safety procedures carried out in travel and arrival halls to protect travellers from the risk of coronavirus infection.

The sources revealed that the Egyptian airports have implemented the latest safety standards according to international aviation organizations.

More importantly, Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada airports security systems had been thoroughly improved, and airports had passed European and American inspections recently, with many companies making plans to fly to Egyptian airports, the sources added.

Following an almost three-year ban and intensive rounds of negotiations, the Russian national carrier Aeroflot resumed flights to Cairo in April 2018. The ban, which started in October 2015 following the explosion of a bomb on a Russian plane over Sharm Al-Sheikh, harmed the Egyptian tourism industry. Previously, Egypt used to receive millions of Russian tourists every year.

Although direct flights between Moscow and Cairo were resumed in April 2018, Red Sea resorts have remained closed to Russian charter flights.

In late 2020, Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry met with Russian Minister of Industry and Commerce Denis Manturov in Moscow to discuss boosting relations between the two countries.

Shoukry expressed Egypt’s aspiration to resume charter flights from Russia to Red Sea resort cities of Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada in Egypt, especially after the recent developments carried out by Egyptian airports in terms of security measures.

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Mohamed Samir Khedr is an economic and political journalist, analyst, and editor specializing in geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East, Africa, and the Eastern Mediterranean. For the past decade, he has covered Egypt's and the MENA region's financial, business, and geopolitical updates. Currently, he is the Executive Editor of the Daily News Egypt, where he leads a team of journalists in producing high-quality, in-depth reporting and analysis on the region's most pressing issues. His work has been featured in leading international publications. Samir is a highly respected expert on the Middle East and Africa, and his insights are regularly sought by policymakers, academics, and business leaders. He is a passionate advocate for independent journalism and a strong believer in the power of storytelling to inform and inspire. Twitter: https://twitter.com/Moh_S_Khedr LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohamed-samir-khedr/