MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. Tour operators have brought home 90% of packaged tourists, or over 85,000 people, the press service of the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism said on Friday, citing its head Zarina Doguzova.

"To date, tour operators have brought back to Russia 90% of all the packaged tourists who were staying abroad when the problems with air travel broke out. It is over 85,000 people. Today we still have about 5,500 packaged tourists staying abroad," Doguzova said.

According to the agency, Egypt has the largest number of packaged tourists from Russia, or about 4,000 people. The repatriation process has been hampered and takes more time due to new Western sanctions targeting the planes that were expected to be used for special flights from Egypt to Russia, the agency said. However, the tour operators continue to bring back Russian packaged tourists every day, including connecting flights of foreign airlines through third countries.

Considerably fewer Russian nationals are staying in the United Arab Emirates (below 1,000 people), Turkey (about 690), the Maldives (about 60) and Thailand (below 50). The tour operators are dealing with their return home, mainly by flights operated by foreign air carriers through third countries.

As for independent travelers, work on their return continues as well, handled by the Transport Ministry, the Federal Air Transport Agency, with the support of the Foreign Ministry, the Federal Agency for Tourism and other agencies, the agency added.