A watchful eye
Russia wants to keep a close eye on Egypt after allowing Red Sea flights to resume: Russia is proposing to set up a Russian-Egyptian group that will conduct “round-the-clock monitoring” of the situation in Egypt to protect Russian tourists, Russian news agency Tass reports. The idea has been put forward by the government’s tourism body, which says the group would be primarily responsible for monitoring Egypt’s covid epidemic and how authorities are handling the situation “to ensure safe and comfortable stay of tourists.”
The proposal comes a week after Russian President Vladimir Putin lifted the six-year flight ban on direct flights between Russia and Egypt’s Red Sea destinations that was put in place following the 2015 Metrojet crash in Sinai.
Most importantly: We’re still unsure when charter flights will resume. No airlines have yet come forward with announcements for new flight routes since the decision was made to end the ban last week.