Russian security experts continued their inspection of Hurghada International Airport’s security procedures on Tuesday, as part of Russian measures to Russian air traffic and tourism flights between the two countries.
Egyptian airport sources said that the Russian experts would continue their work until Friday.
Their inspections include following-up on procedures to secure luggage and passengers in travel and arrival halls and ensure security personnel are present in the places assigned to them, especially baggage loading areas, the sources explained.
The experts shall also inspect all workers assigned inside and outside the aircraft, alongside inspecting licenses for cars within the airstrip.
According to the sources, this visit comes as part of the Russian authorities’ procedures in preparation for issuing the final report on the resumption of Russian flights to Egypt, and presenting the results of this report to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
The last Russian security committee that inspected security procedures at Hurghada airport visited the airport in mid-March.
Russian flights to Egypt were suspended following the downing of a Russian aircraft in Sinai on its way from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg on October 31, 2015.
The incident claimed the lives of all 224 passengers and crew-members onboard. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) later designated the incident as a terrorist attack.
Russian tourists held the lion’s share of tourism in Red Sea pearls Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada, until the decision to suspend flights.
On April 11 of last year, Russia’s largest airliner Aeroflot resumed flights to Cairo.
Tourism revenues make up 11.5 percent of the total GDP of Egypt, according to the Ministry of Tourism, and it is estimated the suspension cost Egypt’s tourism industry US$4 million per day.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
