Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport received on Sunday its first-ever flight by Avion Express, arriving from Lithuania, a statement by the Ministry of Civil Aviation said. The Avion Express flight, carrying 173 passengers on board, was welcomed with a water cannon salute as the first flight by the operator to land in Sharm El-Sheikh. The Lithuanian operator is set to operate one weekly flight to the well-known holiday destination of Sharm El-Sheikh, the statement noted. This, the aviation ministry said, comes within the framework of the ministry's efforts in implementing the highest precautionary and preventive measures in Egyptian airports that led "a large number of Egyptian airports to receive the Airports Council International's (ACI) health accreditation certificate for safe travel". The ministry's statement revealed that the airport officials have provided all necessary assistance to finalise passengers' arrival procedures, amid strict adherence to preventive measures against the coronavirus. Tourists were received by the airport officials with roses, the ministry said, and their airport exit procedures were facilitated. The ministry also said that precautionary measures, including social distancing, were maintained, to ensure the safety of visitors and employees. Egypt's popular tourist resorts Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh have been receiving more international flights recently after the country reopened its airspace to regular flights last summer. Sunday's flight comes only a few days after Lithuania's GetJet Airlines operated its first flight to the Egyptian Red Sea city of Hurghada since the hiatus enforced due to the pandemic ended. The plane had 180 people on board. Egypt has reopened its seaside resorts of Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada, and Marsa Matrouh to international flights and foreign tourists since July, after a three-month halt over the coronavirus pandemic. Egypt has required travellers to present PCR certificates upon departure and arrival. Between July and December 2020, Egypt has received 1.4 million tourists, according to the tourism ministry's statistics.
