Russia and Egypt resumed charter flights interrupted in 2015 – Economy and business
MOSCOW, November 9. / TASS /. Russia and Egypt have officially resumed charter flights since Tuesday, which has not existed in more than years – since the Kogalymavia plane crash in the sky over the Sinai Peninsula in 2015, flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg.
The principal decision on the possibility of resuming flights between Russia and Egypt was made in 2018: then carriers were allowed to operate only regular flights between Moscow and Cairo (only Aeroflot operated them). In July of this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree canceling the ban on other transportation between Russia and Egypt, including charter flights. At the same time, the recommendation to tour operators and travel agents not to sell vouchers to Egyptian resorts was canceled.
Against the backdrop of a pandemic, the decision on the possibility of flights to one or another is made by the operational headquarters to combat the new coronavirus infection. The headquarters allowed regular flights not only to Cairo, but also to the resort cities of Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada from August 9, and in mid-October it was decided to resume charters from November 9.
Unlike the overwhelming number of other international shipments to Egypt, the headquarters did not set quotas. The first carrier to operate a charter flight to Egypt will be Nordwind, a source in the company told TASS. The flight from Nizhny Novgorod to Hurghada is scheduled for 00:30 Moscow time.
Who will fly to Egypt
Tour operators began to form tours to Egypt almost immediately after the decision of the headquarters. Executive Director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) Maya Lomidze then said that after the launch of charters, the cost of travel to Egyptian resorts for Russians could decrease by at least 15-20%.
The first charter flights to Egypt are 100% loaded, there is also a shortage of seats for New Year’s arrivals, the press service of the Intourist tour operator told TASS. “The demand for Red Sea resorts can be characterized as consistently high. Egypt has already escaped by a wide margin as the leader in bookings for New Year’s arrivals. The first charter flights depart with 100% load, and there is already a shortage of seats for New Year’s arrivals, ”the message says.
The high demand for charter programs to Egypt and the almost full load of the nearest flights were also noted in TUI Russia. The tour operator offers programs to Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh from Moscow and another 30 regions of the country. The company recorded the highest demand for the first charter flights in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Krasnodar, the press service told TASS.
Similar data were provided by tour operators Anex Tour and Intourist. According to the latter, the average cost of vouchers to Egypt due to the launch of charters has decreased by about 40% – from 77.5 thousand rubles. up to 47.1 thousand rubles for a week-long tour for two with accommodation in a four-star all-inclusive hotel. Anex Tour also reported that the cost of such tours according to the results of recent weeks has decreased from 69-80 thousand rubles. rubles to 49 thousand rubles due to the increase in the number of flight programs and the possibility of setting prices through charter carriers. At the same time, the press service of Tez Tour told TASS that prices for trips to Egypt after the launch of charter programs did not decrease, but continued to grow. This trend will continue in the next few hotel rooms in Egyptian hotels.
The depth of bookings for tours to Egypt from Intourist reaches March 2022, from Tez Tour – October 2022. Tour operators also record a high demand for travel during the upcoming New Year holidays. This year the demand for the destination is higher than in previous years, in winter it will also increase, Anex Tour stressed. “All inclusive”.