The Russians are not coming “” yet

The Russians are not coming “” yet

Egypt's Ministry of Civil Aviation has denied reports of the resumption of chartered flights between Russia and the Egyptian Red Sea cities of Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada after a five-year hiatus following the crash of a Russian flight in Sinai in October 2015.

Head of Egypt's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Ashraf Noweir said last Thursday that the authority had approved a request from the Russian Nordwind Airlines to operate four trips per week to Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada starting on 28 March.

The statement was translated in news reports into official confirmation of the resumption of chartered air traffic to the two popular Red Sea destinations after more than five years of the absence of flights to the two cities.

Direct flights between Moscow and Cairo were halted following the 2015 plane crash, but were resumed in April 2018 while direct flights to Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada were still suspended.

A Russian security delegation inspected the Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada airports a few weeks ago and followed up on security and safety measures to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 in preparation for the resumption of Russian flights.

However, the Russian civil aviation agency Rosaviatsia said on Friday that