MOSCOW, October 14. /TASS/. Russia will lift restrictions on regular and charter flights from its airports to the Egyptian resort cities of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh from November 9, 2021, a representative of the federal coronavirus prevention headquarters told reporters on Thursday.
"[It was decided] to lift restrictions on regular and charter flights from Russian airports, from which international flights have been resumed, to destinations in Egypt - the cities of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh," the official said.
Air traffic between Russia and Egypt was completely interrupted in November 2015 after a plane of Russia’s Kogalymavia airline crashed in Sinai on its way from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg. There were 217 passengers and seven crew members on board. All of them were killed in the crash. The Federal Security Service (FSB) qualified the incident as a terrorist attack.
In January 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the resumption of regular air traffic to Cairo, but charter flights to Egyptian resorts were not resumed. Over the past years, the Egyptian side has improved its system of control and inspection of passengers and their luggage, as well as significantly upgraded the infrastructure of the airports.
On July 8, Putin canceled the 2015 decree banning Russian airlines from flying to Egyptian resorts.
Air traffic with the Egyptian resorts on the Moscow-Hurghada and Moscow-Sharm el-Sheikh routes was resumed on August 9.