“Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada airports have become like fortresses with security points everywhere. The security system around the airports is like a bottle that no one can enter except through a narrow neck,” said a report aired this week about the security measures being taken at Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada airports. It described in detail the strict security measures being taken at both airports to guarantee the safety of passengers and planes. It was prepared by a team from a Russian TV channel and concluded that it would be virtually impossible for any passenger to pass the airports' security measures with anything that could pose any danger. This week, many Russian local and satellite channels aired the report, pointing to the fact that many Russians are waiting for the day when the ban on travel to Egypt is lifted and they will be able to resume their trips to Egyptian shores. It pointed to the fact that before the ban Egypt was a main destination for Russian tourists, with more than 2.5 million visiting every year. A ban was imposed on Russian tourists travelling to Egypt after a Russian flight crashed in Sinai Peninsula in October 2015, resulting in the deaths of all 224 passengers and crew on board. Since then, Russian security delegations have made repeated inspection visits to Egypt in order to ensure that measures have been taken to make Egypt's airports safer. In August 2016, Egypt and Russia agreed on a roadmap for the resumption of Russian flights and tourism to Egypt. In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi that flights would resume between the countries soon. The report about the airports was aired after last week's visit by a Russian delegation to continue the Russian inspection of Egypt's airports in preparation for the resumption of flights between Egypt and Russia, which is likely to be soon. However, no date has been set for the resumption of the flights. The delegation comprised 10 senior officials and security experts from the State Civil Aviation Authority of Russia. Five members of the delegation left after finishing their inspection mission, while the rest stayed in Egypt to continue the inspection and meet with senior officials at the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation. They will then prepare a final report that will be presented to senior security officials in Russia to determine the date of the flights' resumption. The delegation's visit is expected to be the final security check of Egyptian airports before the resumption of Russian flights to Egypt. The Russian team inspected new biometric equipment installed in Egyptian airports at the request of the Russian experts. Biometric equipment had already been installed at staff gates at Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada airports. The equipment has also been installed at Cairo International Airport. The delegation reviewed security measures at Cairo International Airport as well as the Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada international airports, all of which recently saw security upgrades. The Russian experts also inspected CCTV camera footage of recordings from the past 30 days to assess the security procedures in place, as well as luggage inspection and handling procedures. The visit is the second in less than one month, as a team of Russian experts also conducted a security inspection of the Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada airports in mid-January. A number of European countries also suspended flights to Sharm El-Sheikh following the 2015 crash, and these have recently reinstated direct flights to the Red Sea resort. Egypt depends on tourism as one of its main sources of income. The country's revenues from tourism dropped from $6.1 billion in 2015 to $3.4 billion in 2016.
