Direct flights from Russia to the Red Sea resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada in Egypt will resume on August 9, Russian news agency TASS reported on Saturday. The flights to the two popular tourist destinations had been suspended after a Russian passenger plane crashed in Sinai in October 2015, killing 224 people on board. "From August 9, the number of flights to Europe will be increased, with Moscow-Hurghada and Moscow-Sharm el-Sheikh flights adding up to five flights per week for every route," the Russian anti-coronavirus crisis centre said in a statement on Friday. "Further decisions to increase the number of flights via the above-mentioned routes will be made following a visit of a Russian delegation to Egypt to assess the epidemiological situation." the statement added. Maya Lomidze – executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia – said prices for tours to Egypt for Russians are likely to be high. "The crisis centre's decision does not clarify what kind of flights will be permitted. With a great deal of certainty, I can suggest that only regular ones [will be permitted] so far. This is a huge step forward for the entire industry, but it is still not enough to say that the flow of tourists will grow rapidly." "The thing is that regular flights are more expensive than charter flights. And a very small number of flights has been permitted, which means that prices will be high," Lomidze added. Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin has lifted a ban on Russia's charter flights to Egypt's Red Sea resorts in Sharm al-Sheikh and Hurghada. In April, Egypt and Russia agreed to resume all flights between the two countries through a call between their presidents, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Vladimir Putin. Over the past few years, authorities in Egypt since the plane crash have spent millions of dollars to upgrade security at its airports, hoping to get Moscow to resume flights to its resorts.
