A Turkish passenger plane carrying foreign tourists from Istanbul arrived early on Sunday at the resort city of Sharm al-Sheikh, the first such flight since a Russian passenger jet was brought down by terrorists in October after taking off from the Egyptian resort.
Major General Mahmoud al-Soliyah, the city's mayor, and Yasser Jahin, vice-chief of Sharm al-Sheikh International Airport, received the tourists, who were given flowers and treats on their arrival.
Ahmed Shaaban, vice-chief of Turkish Airlines in the city, said the plane was carrying 154 tourists from several nationalities and will head back to Turkey within one hour with 80 passengers.
Shaaban said Turkish Airlines will organize four flights weekly from Istanbul to Sharm al-Sheikh on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Meanwhile, Gad al-Karim Nasr, former chairman of the Egyptian Airports Company, said that the return of Turkish flights to Sharm al-Sheikh is a good indicator and proves that the security measures at Egyptian airports are perfect.
He added that the Turkish flights to South Sinai will be increased to nine flights weekly as a result of the growing bookings in the resort city.
Nasr added that Turkish Airlines is an international company that does not only carry Turkish tourists only but tourists of other nationalities. In October, more tourists are expected from Germany and other European countries, he said.
Regarding the resumption of Russian flights, he said that the situation is not yet clear, despite the presence of a specialized Russian security team that is checking security measures at Egyptian airports.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
