Egypt and Russia agreed to fully resume normal air traffic between their two countries today. The deal follows a nearly six-year suspension of charter flights from Russia to Egyptian sea resorts. 

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the two agreed to “the full resumption of flights between the two countries,” the official Russian news agency Tass reported. This will include flights from Russia to the Red Sea resort cities of Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada, Tass said. 

Russia suspended flights to and from Egypt after Russian airline Metrojet Flight 9268 was destroyed by a bomb in October 2015. All 224 occupants on the flight perished. Most were Russian tourists and the plane took off from Sharm el-Sheikh for the Russian city of St. Petersburg. The Islamic State, which is active in the Sinai peninsula, claimed credit for the attack. After initial denials, the Egyptian government ultimately admitted that terrorists brought down the plane. 

Flights from the Russian capital, Moscow, to the Egyptian capital, Cairo, resumed in 2018, but charter flights from Russia to Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada remained suspended, according to the Egypt Independent news outlet. The Red Sea resorts are popular with sun-seeking Russian tourists.