Decision on Resuming Russian Flights to Cairo Almost Made - Russian Deputy PM

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich stated that Moscow considers the Cairo airport as a priority for resuming flights between Russia and Egypt.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Decision on resuming flights between Russia and Cairo is almost made, while other destinations are to be considered further, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said Saturday.

"As of today, the meeting [with the Egyptian civil aviation minister] is not scheduled, but we consider the Cairo airport as a priority for resuming flights and will continue work on other destinations further… I will not give a time frame, but the decision on Cairo is close," Dvorkovich told reporters.

He noted that the work on such destinations as Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh was still in progress.

Russia suspended flights to and from Egypt after an Airbus A321 plane flying to St. Petersburg crashed on the Sinai Peninsula soon after taking off from Sharm El-Sheikh on October 31, 2015, killing all 224 people aboard.

Earlier in January 2017, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said the Russian Transport Ministry had sent a report on aviation security at the Cairo airport to the Russian government, adding that regular flights to and from the city would be established in the near future.

In late December 2016, Egyptian Civil Aviation Minister Sherif Fathy said Moscow and Cairo had agreed on additional mutual visits of delegations in January in an effort to resume flights between the two countries.