The Russian ministry of transport said in a statement on Monday that Egypt has progressed in terms of the security measures taken in its airports. The statement added that the resumption of direct flights will only be possible if Egypt achieves all security demands.
On 31 October 2015, a Russian aeroplane that took off from Sharm El-Sheikh en route to St. Petersburg crashed in Sinai. A few days after the crash, Russia suspended its direct flights to Egypt, along with other European countries and airlines.
The United Kingdom is currently the only European country, besides Russia, that hasn’t resumed its direct flights to Sharm El-Sheikh—a stance that Egypt’s ambassador to the UK Nasser Kamel severely criticised. He also blamed British prime minister Theresa May for hindering the flights’ resumption. As for Russia, several statements have been made regarding resuming direct flights; however, no particular date has been set yet.
According to the Russian transport minister, if Egypt has achieved all the required safety and security measures, the direct flights may resume before the end of 2016. Egypt has announced that it hasn’t only secured its airports, but also its Red Sea resorts.
