The Russian ambassador to Cairo Georgiy Borisenko on Tuesday expressed his joy at the return of Russian tourism to Egypt, and thanked Egyptian and Russian experts for their success in returning Russian tourists to Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada.
In televised statements, the Russian ambassador to Cairo said he anticipates an increase in Russian tourists coming to Cairo in the near future.
Flights will come in from over 45 Russian cities, he said, stressing that Russian tourists will enjoy safety in Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada and Egypt overall.
Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh international airports on Monday received their first direct Russian flights from Moscow after more than six years since the crash of a Russian plane in 2015.
The tourists coming on the first flight in Sharm el-Shaikh on Monday were received by the Governor of South Sinai General Khaled Fouda, and Russian Ambassador Borisenko.
Flights between Russia and Egypt had been fully suspended in November 2015 after a passenger plane operated by Russia’s Kogalymavia airline traveling from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg exploded over the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 217 passengers and seven crewmembers on board. The Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) qualified the incident as a terror attack.
In January 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order to resume regular flights to Cairo but charter flights to Egyptian resorts remained suspended.
Over the past few years, Egypt has dramatically improved its system of checks for passengers and luggage, and tremendously improved its airport infrastructure.
On July 8, Putin struck down the order signed in 2015 which banned flights to Egypt’s resorts operated by Russian airlines.
