EgyptAir will begin operating a weekly flight between Egypt's Red Sea resort of Hurghada and Hungary's capital of Budapest on Saturdays starting next week as part of efforts to promote tourism to the country. According to an official statement by the national carrier on Tuesday, the flight will be operated by the airline's Airbus A220-300, which is able to accommodate 140 passengers. EgyptAir already operates two weekly flights between Cairo and Budapest on Fridays and Tuesdays. Egypt, in a bid to offset losses by the aviation sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reopened its airports for international flights in July after a four-months suspension to contain the impact of the virus. Foreign tourists in groups have been allowed entry into the three coastal Egyptian governorates with the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the country. Egypt has required travellers arriving in the country to present a negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) lab test result certificate for the coronavirus starting 1 September. However, travelers entering Egypt at any of four airports in the Red Sea governorate and South Sinai take a coronavirus test upon arrival. Egypt hopes that the resumption of regular flights will boost its coronavirus-hit tourism sector, an essential source of foreign currency.
