Centrum Stosunków Międzynarodowych - 24 August 2016: Russian airlines likely to resume flights to Egypt in October

Following a series of talks between Egipt and Russia, the Russian Minister of Transport, Maxim Sokolov, announced that a series of test will be conducted at Egyptian airports in late August and early September in order to determine whether to resume flights. The flights between Egypt and Russia were suspended after a terrorist attack on Russian Metrojet passenger jet flying from Sharm el-Sheikh which claimed 224 dead. Egyptian Minister of Civil Aviation, Sharif Fathy, announced that positive test results should make it possible to resume flights in October.

The roadmap of security test and resumption of flight was agreed upon during Fathy’s visit in Moscow in mid-July 2016. It envisions implementing special security procedures concerning passenger screening and verification of airport employees. The opening of a special terminal for Russian tourists is also being considered, but such move is not treated as a precondition for the resumption of flights.

The official investigation into the Metrojet crash, which happened in October 2015, is not yet finished, but the responsibility for it has been claimed by ISIS. According to a Reuters report, an EgyptAir mechanict, acting in collusion with two policemen and a baggage handler, planted an explosive device on the plane.

The Metrojet plane crash resulted in a 46% percent decrease in number of tourists in Egypt, and the drop in Russian tourist visits reached 99%. British airlines have also suspended flights to Egypt and only few are currently considering resuming them. The number of tourists from the Middle East and Western Europe has dropped by about 30%. The tourist sector is a crucial part of Egyptian economy and the reduction in receipts hurts Egypt’s trade balance significantly.