Sisi, Putin talk resumption of Russian flights to Sharm el Sheikh, Hurghada

CAIRO - 26 April 2019: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed the file resumption of Russian flights to Egypt’s Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada airports on the sidelines of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRFIC) in Beijing on Friday, said Egyptian Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Radi in a statement.

“The two presidents discussed a number of issues related to bilateral relations, including the resumption of Russian flights to Egypt. The Russian president praised the efforts made by the Egyptian authorities in securing airports, which will support the resumption of Russian flights at the end of ongoing technical consultations between the two sides,” said Radi.


President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin meet on the sidelines of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRFIC) in Beijing on Friday, April 26, 2019- press photo


Vice-President of the Russian Association of Travel Industry Yuri Barzykin told Izvesti newspaper that the flights to the two airports could resume by October.

During his trip to Egypt on April 6, 2019, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the flight resumption with President Sisi and Foreign Minister of Egypt Sameh Shoukry.

Flights were suspended at the end of 2015 after a bomb downed a Russian flight carrying holidaymakers from the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, killing all 224 people on board, mostly Russian tourists. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State terrorist group.


President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin meet on the sidelines of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRFIC) in Beijing on Friday, April 26, 2019- press photo

Since the crash, Egypt has been implementing new, tighter security measures at all of its airports to meet the Russian demands necessary for the resumption of flights, with multiple visits from Russian security delegations to observe changes implemented by the government.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has decreed to resume flights from Moscow to Cairo in January 2018. On April 11, 2018, the first flight of Russia's Aeroflot airlines arrived to Cairo International Airport.

During Sisi and Putin’s meeting in Beijing, both leaders discussed other bilateral relations in fields of energy as Russia is building the first phase of Egypt’s first nuclear power plant in the Mediterranean city of Dabaa, Radi said.

They also tackled cooperation in fields of railway, security and counter-terrorism, Radi added, noting that regional and international issues of mutual concerns were also tackled, mainly Syrian crisis, Libyan turmoil, Palestinian-Israeli cause.

Furthermore, Putin and Sisi discussed the preparations for the Russia-Africa summit due in October in Sochi.