Flights between Egypt and Russia may be resumed before the end of the year, assuming certain conditions are met, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said on Saturday, according to Sputnik.
"If the Egyptian colleagues invite us to the commission by December, if the group works rapidly and prepares the corresponding report, we will inform the administration, and if the decision is made by the authorities, it [the resumption of flights] can be launched before the winter holidays. But for now, these are just assumptions," Sokolov told journalists.
The Chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council, Valentina Matviyenko, echoed Sokolov's statement, saying that Moscow is aiming for the resumption of direct flights to Egypt, and that this will likely take place in late 2016 or early 2017.
"The resumption of flights is not only important to Egypt but to Russia as well," she said after her meeting with Egyptian Speaker of Parliament Ali Abdel Aal on Thursday.
In related news, South Sinai province officials called on Russian nationals and foreigners based in Sharm el-Sheikh to take part in a candlelight vigil in front of the "Icon of Peace" in the city to commemorate the first anniversary of the Russian airplane crash in central Sinai in October 2015.
The aircraft crashed after taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh, with the loss of all 224 people on board.
A mass for the victims will be attended on Monday by Major General Khaled Fouda and a delegation of the Russian Embassy in Cairo, along with workers in the tourism industry.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
