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Russian experts start security checks at airports in Egypt’s resorts - source

The trip will last for around a week

CAIRO, December 9. /TASS/. Russian aviation security experts arrived on Sunday in Egypt to inspect airports in the resorts towns of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, a source at the Cairo airport told TASS.

"Some 20 people have arrived in Cairo by plane. They were divided into two groups: one headed to Hurghada and the second one to Sharm el-Sheikh," the source said.

The specialists are due to assess the airports’ readiness to ensure security of passengers. The trip will last for around a week.

All flights between Russia and Egypt were cancelled in November 2015 after the explosion onboard Russia’s A320 jet over the Sinai Peninsula on October 31, less than half an hour after takeoff from Sharm el-Sheikh international airport. The terrorist attack claimed the lives of all 217 passengers and seven crewmembers.

Russia demanded a considerable tightening of security measures at Egyptian airports as a precondition for resuming flights.

In mid-December 2017, Russia and Egypt signed an agreement on aviation security and a special protocol on restoring air service between the two countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the decree on resumption of scheduled flights to Cairo on January 4, 2018. The first flight was performed on April 11. Charter flights from Russia to Egyptian resort towns of Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada are not carried out.

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