A Russian team of airport security experts is set to arrive in Cairo on Monday evening to inspect the latest security measures adopted at Cairo International Airport ahead of the expected resumption of Russian flights to Egypt, a source at the civil aviation ministry told Ahram Arabic website.
The Russian team will check security measures put in place at the airport's Terminal 2.
The visit should pave the way for the resumption of EgyptAir flights to Moscow and Aeroflot flights to Cairo, followed by the return of Russian flights to Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh, Ahram Arabic website said.
The ministry source added that Terminal 2 has been equipped with the latest surveillance equipment.
A new biometric verification system has been installed to track airport staff at Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada airports, with the same system to be put in place at Cairo International Airport.
The Falcon security company is currently providing security at the three airports at the gates where Russian tourists are expected to arrive and depart.
Several foreign airlines and countries have imposed travel bans on flights to Sharm El-Sheikh after a Russian passenger jet crashed in Sinai in October 2015, killing all 224 people on board, most of them holidaymakers.
Since the deadly incident, Egypt has been putting in place tighter security measures at all its airports.
Egypt's tourism industry has been hit hard since the crash, with the number of tourists visiting Egypt dropping by 50 percent in the first half of 2016 compared to the same period last year, according to Egypt's Tourism Authority.
Earlier this month, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin told Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi during a telephone call that Russian flights to Egypt would soon resume.
On Friday, an EgyptAir cargo flight flew to Moscow for the first time since the downing of the Russian jet.
Negotiations between the two countries to resume flights have been ongoing for months, with multiple visits by Russian security services to Egyptian airports to monitor changes implemented by Cairo.
