Russia, Egypt flights to resume in April

Egypt and Russia have set dates in April for the resumption of flights between the two capitals, more than two-and-half years after they were suspended following the bombing of a Russian charter tourist jet over the Sinai.

Egypt's national carrier EgyptAir said on Friday it plans to resume direct flights between Cairo and Moscow after air traffic was stopped in October 2015.

Head of EgyptAir Holding Safwat Musallam said on Friday the carrier would operate three Cairo-Moscow flights a week.

The announcement came after Russia’s biggest airline Aeroflot said on Tuesday it would restart flights to Cairo on April 11. EgyptAir flights are set to resume the following day.

The Russian flagship carrier said it would resume the flights after Egypt had met its demands for a “substantial increase in security measures.”

Aeroflot added that it plans to have the same number of flights a week from Moscow to Cairo, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays but will run extra services during the football World Cup, to be held in Russia from June 14 to July 15.

Both companies suspended the route after an Airbus A321, run by Russia’s Kogalymavia airline, crashed in the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on October 31, leaving all the 224 people – mostly Russians – on board dead.

The Sinai bombing dealt a huge blow to Egypt’s tourism industry.

Although an affiliate of the Daesh terrorist group in Egypt claimed responsibility for the crash, Russia and Egypt have been hesitant to draw direct connections between the deadly incident and the militant group wreaking havoc in Syria and Iraq.

The Russian federal security service has announced that a bomb had gone off on the Russian aircraft, bringing the plane down.  

Egypt has disputed Russia’s account, saying its probe has yet to find any evidence of criminal action.

SS