Cairo-Moscow flights to resume mid-September: Egypt’s flag carrier

CAIRO – 6 September 2020: The civil aviation authority has approved Russian request to resume flights between Cairo and Moscow starting mid-September, after months of suspension over coronavirus pandemic, Egypt’s flag carrier said.

In a statement on Saturday, EgyptAir said it will resume flights with Russia’s Aeroflot airlines, which have been suspended since March. The authorities of both civil aviation airports are coordinating to end the required preparations to operate flights, the statement added.

Earlier in September, the Russian government announced resuming flights with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and the Maldives, after suspension over the spread of the novel virus, Reuters reported.

A government order published on Thursday showed that the Russian government said it had authorized three flights a week to Cairo, as well as two flights a week to Dubai and to the Maldives’s Velana International Airport.

The Russian Union of Travel Agencies has requested that the government resumes tourist flights to Egypt, according to Russian reports last March.

The Russian government recommended against traveling to Italy, China, South Korea and Iran because of coronavirus. The union said this is another reason why it demands the resumption, as more tourist destinations for Russians have been closed.

The union added that the demand on Egyptian resorts has not declined among Russian tourists, who "impatiently" await returning to the country, according to Russian media outlets.

It continued to warn that the tourism sector may collapse and social turbulence may occur due to the restrictions imposed because of the novel virus.