Russian flights rumored to resume this week

CAIRO – 20 February 2017: Russian flights to Egypt are rumored to be resumed on Feb. 23, according to Russian state-owned news agency Sputnik. The possible resumption would mean an end to the 16-month long suspension of Russian flights to Egypt.

Moscow suspended Russian flights to Egypt following the crash of a Russian airplane in Sinai in October 2015, which killed all 224 passengers and crew onboard.

The Islamic State subsidiary in the Sinai Province, known previously as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, claimed responsibility for the incident.

Sputnik quoted a member of the Parliamentary Touristic Committee, Riad Abdel-Sattar, who said the Egyptian ambassador to Russia had confirmed the resumption of flights.

Sputnik added that the committee has held meetings to prepare to receive the new Russian visitors.

The Russian Consul in Hurghada, Dzhamshed Boltayev, told the state-owned newspaper Akhbar el-Yom that security procedures taken by Egyptian authorities in Hurghada International airport are very high.

Boltayev told

Sputnik

in January that opening a new consulate in Egypt was not related to the resumption of flights from Moscow to Egypt.

Sami Abdel-Kareim, the spokesman of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, said in a statement on Friday that there are negotiations with the Russian side to resume flights, however, he denied reports that a security agreement with Russia has been signed, or that flights would be resuming soon.