Russia to lift coronavirus restrictions on flights to Egypt’s Red Sea resorts starting 9 November: TASS

Ahram Online , Thursday 14 Oct 2021

Russia will lift COVID-related restrictions on flights from its airports to the Egyptian Red Sea resorts of Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada starting 9 November, TASS cited a representative of the federal coronavirus prevention headquarters as saying on Thursday.

Airbus
File Photo: A view shows an Aeroflot Airbus A320 aircraft. REUTERS

The decision includes regular and charter flights, the official told reporters.

“[It was decided] to lift restrictions on regular and charter flights from Russian airports, from which international flights have been resumed, to destinations in Egypt - the cities of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh,” the official said.

The Russian decision also includes lifting restrictions on air traffic with the UAE,Austria, Switzerland and Finland.

This comes three months after Moscow canceled the 2015 decree banning Russian airlines from flying to the two Egyptian Red Sea resorts, ending six years of suspension after a deadly Russian plane crash in Sinai in 2015.

Egypt has since upgraded its safety and security measures at all airports nationwide.

In April 2018, Russia resumed flights to Cairo International Airport, but the Russian ban on its flights to Egypt's Red Sea destinations was only lifted in July, as per a decree by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Both Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada received their first direct flights from Moscow on 9 August.

​Russian travellers are a major contributor to the country's tourism industry, a key source of hard currency.

Russian tourists in Egypt surpassed 3.1 million in 2014, representing 33 percent of all tourists that year, but they have dropped to average 100,000 tourists per year since the airliner crash in 2015.

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