The Russian airline Aeroflot started operating its first regular flights to Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh airports on Friday, with one daily flight for each airport.
The number of Russian flights are increasing and all seats on flights to Egyptian resorts are fully booked, navigational sources at Hurghada International Airport said.
And tourist resorts in the cities of Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada and Marsa Alam witnessed a tourism boom and a rise in occupancy from incoming foreign tourism.
Earlier in September, the Hurghada International Airport received the Nordwind company’s first flight coming from Russia after a six-year halt.
Companies can now operate one flight per week to Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh from 49 Russian cities, and 15 flights per week from Moscow to the Red Sea resort cities.
On August 9, regular flights from Russia to Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada resumed after Moscow and Cairo agreed in April to fully resume air traffic between the two countries, including Egyptian resorts.
Flights between Russia and Egypt had been fully suspended since 2015, after a passenger plane traveling from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg exploded over the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 217 passengers and seven crew members on board.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) determined the incident to be a terror attack.
The resumption of and increase in flights will contribute to boosting tourism in Egypt, as Russian tourism generated billions of dollars in revenue for the country.
