Russia to resume flights to Egypt

Russia will resume its flights to Egypt soon, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s office has said.

The announcement was made following a conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin who confirmed the news in a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart.

Russia suspended all flights to Egypt amid security concerns after a Russian jet exploded over the Sinai Peninsula on October 31, 2015, killing all 224 people on board.

The extremist group Islamic State claimed it had placed a bomb aboard the plane, which was carrying Russian holidaymakers back to St. Petersburg from the Egyptian beach resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The suspension of flights was a major blow to Egypt’s economy, which relies heavily on tourism.

More than 30 percent of the tourists who visited Egypt in recent years before the bombing were from Russia.

The statement from Sisi’s office did not however say exactly when the flights could resume.

The announcement comes only two days after Russian Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov said flights might resume in January 2017.