CAIRO, May 30. / TASS /. A team of Russian experts arrived in Egypt to carry out a control inspection of international airports in the country’s resort cities, the Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation reported on Sunday.
According to the company’s spokesperson, the delegation of 12 experts will be divided into two control groups, one of which will go to Sharm el-Sheikh and the second - to Hurghada. "They will once again check the implementation of security measures, the operation of surveillance cameras, the procedures for screening passengers and baggage, ensuring the aircraft’s safety, the procedure for the personnel’s entrance and exit for a runway, ensuring security in hotels and tourist facilities as well as sanitary measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic," the spokesperson said.
On April 23, the two countries’ presidents, Vladimir Putin and Abdul Fattah el-Sisi, agreed to resume flights between Russian cities and the Red Sea resorts. In early May, Russian Ambassador to Cairo Georgy Borisenko announced that the aviation authorities and security agencies had to complete the entire range of necessary measures for full air traffic resumption. However, the timing largely depends on the epidemiological situation.
Air traffic between Russia and Egypt was completely suspended in November 2015 after the Russian plane’s crash in Sinai en route from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg. Some 217 passengers and seven crew members onboard were killed. The Federal Security Service classified 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. The first flight from Moscow was held four months later, in April. Until now, charter flights with Egyptian resort areas remain closed. Over the past years, the Egyptian side has improved the inspection system, control and inspection of passengers and baggage as well as significantly upgraded the airports’ infrastructure.