Russia Not to Resume Flights to Egypt by End of 2015 - Transport Ministry

According to the Russian transport minister, Maksim Sokolov, the resumption of flights mainly depends on the Egyptian side, as Cairo must create the necessary conditions for transport security.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia will not resume its air links with Egypt before the end of 2015, while the terms for reopening the routes next year depends on the progress of joint work with the Egyptian authorities, the Russian transport minister said Thursday.

"This year, I can assure you, it will not occur. We will be working on it next year," Maksim Sokolov told journalists.

According to Sokolov, the resumption of flights mainly depends on the Egyptian side, as Cairo must create the necessary conditions for transport security.

Russia imposed a ban on flights to and from Egypt after a Russian-operated Airbus A321 crashed en route from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg on October 31, killing all 224 people on board.

Evidence that suggested that the tragedy was caused by a terrorist attack led the Russian authorities to repatriate Russian citizens vacationing in Egypt.

On November 17, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that the explosion of a homemade bomb, containing the equivalent of up to 1kg of TNT, was the cause of the A321 crash in Sinai.