EgyptAir also announced that it is currently coordinating with travel agents to increase direct flights between Moscow and the Red Sea resort cities of Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada to 28 flights per week starting 2023, up from 10 flight currently.
EgyptAir said that the move aims to support Russian tourism to Egypt’s Red Sea resorts.
The decision comes on the heels of Jordan’s announcement last week that it is closing its airspace to Russian airliners due to sanctions.
Thousands of Russian tourists heading to Egypt were stranded in Russian airports after Jordan banned Russia’s iFly airlines from entering its airspace on its way to Egypt.
Russia’s Federal Agency for Air Transport recommended that the carrier provide its passengers with seats onboard the aircraft of other airlines to compensate them for the delay.
iFly airlines requested a permit to fly in Syrian airspace, but the Russian Federal Agency for Air Transport said that the company did not comply with all the requirements to fly over Syria, according to TASS Russian news agency.
iFly is the second airline to be affected by Jordan’s decision, after Russian tour operator Pegas Touristik changed its flight path to Egypt.
Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Eissa told journalists on Friday that the number of Russian tourists to Egypt has doubled from June to October compared to earlier in the year.
Egypt is among the top five destinations for Russian tourists in the summer season, according to a report issued by the Association of Tour Operations of Russia in September.
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