Egypt Awaits Political Decisions on Resuming Foreign Flights

Egypt is ready to follow all security recommendations of foreign experts and is waiting for political decisions on the resumption of foreign flights, newly-appointed Minister of Civil Aviation Sharif Fathi said.

CAIRO (Sputnik) – Russia suspended all passenger flights to and from Egypt last fall after a Russia-operated Airbus A321 plane crashed en route from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg on October 31, 2015. All 224 people on board died in what has become the largest civil aviation disaster in Russian history. The Islamic State jihadist group, which is outlawed in Russia and a range of other countries, claimed responsibility for planting a bomb on board the aircraft.

Sharif Fathi told CBC Extra late on Wednesday night that airport security in Egypt meets international standards and Cairo is "waiting for political decisions that would allow tourists to return to Egyptian airports."

According to the civil aviation minister, Egypt is ready to accept any security recommendations and will do its best to follow them.

Earlier this month, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stated that the Russian authorities were satisfied with additional security measures introduced at Egyptian airports in the wake of the Russian passenger plane crash.

However on Wednesday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets said that Moscow is not ready yet for the resumption of tourist flow from Russia to Egypt in the wake of the Russian passenger plane catastrophe in the Sinai Peninsula.

Russia and Egypt have been conduction a joint investigation into the plane crash and have been cooperating on enhancing the security of Egyptian airports.