CAIRO, March 16. /TASS/. Egypt’s air carrier Egypt Air will perform its first flight to Moscow after it was decided to restart aviation service between the countries on April 12, the company said in a statement on Friday. Head of the national carrier Safwat Musallam said that the company would perform three flights a week - on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Russia’s flagship carrier Aeroflot announced on March 13 the resumption of regular flights from Moscow to Cairo starting April 11, and launched ticket sales on the same day. Aeroflot fights will be operated on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, the company said. From June 12 to July 2, flights will become daily due to higher demand during the World Cup.

Russia suspended regular air service with Egypt after a Russian A321 passenger jet owned by Russia’s Kogalymavia air carrier bound to St. Petersburg crashed on October 31, 2015 some 30 minutes after the takeoff from Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh. The plane was carrying 217 passengers and seven crewmembers. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) qualified the tragedy as a terrorist attack.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the decree on resumption of scheduled flights to Cairo on January 4, 2018. Settlement of technical matters, including slots booking and schedule preparation, continued in two subsequent months.