Direct flights resume between Cairo and Moscow.

CAIRO: EgyptAir is resuming direct flights between Cairo and Moscow from Sept. 17 following a halt to services amid the pandemic.

The company will operate the flights three times a week on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

EgyptAir said Moscow-bound travelers should obtain a medical certificate with a negative COVID-19 result from an approved lab in Egypt, issued no more than 72 hours before the date of arrival.

A result certificate must be in Russian or English to allow passengers to board their flight.

The company will also ask passengers to follow other health measures on arrival as part of coronavirus precautions.

Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency Rosaviatsiya said that Russian and foreign airlines could begin regular flights to Egypt, the UAE and the Maldives from Sept. 8.

“According to the Russian government’s decision, specific Russian and foreign airlines can start operating regular flights to and from Cairo at a rate of three flights per week,” it said in a statement.

Ihab Nasr, Egypt’s ambassador to Russia, said that coronavirus cases are declining in Russia.

Nasr added that Egypt is Russia’s second-most frequent destination among the three countries resuming flights.

“The return of flights at this time will be in the interest of our attempts to reinforce and promote new Egyptian tourist destinations,” he said.

For the past two decades, beach travel has been a favorite of Russian tourists.

Nasr said the first trip to Egypt has been fully booked.

He added that signs of a tourism comeback are promising after a decline in Egyptian virus cases.

Source : Arab News