No recovery in Egypt tourism industry 2 years after Russia plane crash

The mystery of the Russian airplane that crashed over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula two years ago is still unsolved, and the fallout is still hurting the country’s economy and vital tourism sector.

On 31 October 2015, an Airbus A321 exploded 23 minutes after its departure from the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh on route to St Petersburg, killing all 217 passengers and seven crew members on board.

Those behind the attack remain unknown and no solution appears in the horizon for the problems that the plane crash caused for the Egyptian economy.

Two years on from the attack, the families of the victims petitioned Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov not to resume flights to and from Egypt until the investigation has been completed.

Read: Improved security in Egypt revived tourism

Regnum, a non-governmental Russian news agency, quoted one family member saying that there were persons involved in the plane crash and that the investigation is not just about what happened on board the plane, but it also concerns what happened in the airport.  The family member expressed concerns that Egypt has not provided information about the investigation.