RuAviation

The Federal Air Transport Agency of Russia (Rosaviatsiya) has issued a strong warning to Egyptian carrier AlMasria Universal Airlines regarding persistent flight schedule disruptions. This announcement was made on the agency’s website.

Dmitry Yadrov, Head of Rosaviatsiya, met with AlMasria’s CEO, Sherine Farid, and set a deadline of August 1st of the current year for significant improvement. Rosaviatsiya warned that, should AlMasria fail to demonstrate a substantial increase in flight regularity, the agency will deny the airline permission to operate charter programs between Russia and Egypt for the 2025-2026 winter season. All affected tour operators will be notified in advance of this decision.

Rosaviatsiya’s concerns stem from AlMasria Universal Airlines’ consistently poor on-time performance. During the current summer schedule, the airline operates flights from 14 cities in the Russian Federation to popular Egyptian resort destinations, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, comprising a total of 21 routes, including one scheduled service.

According to Rosaviatsiya data, between June 1st and June 14th of this year, AlMasria operated 213 flights, with 86 of these (over 40%) experiencing delays exceeding two hours. The longest delay recorded was over 37 hours.

Mr. Yadrov emphasized that such treatment of passengers is unacceptable and demanded that the airline implement fundamental changes to its operational planning within a tight timeframe. He also stated that, after flight safety, passenger comfort is a key priority for all participants in the Russian air transport market.

Sherine Farid assured Rosaviatsiya that AlMasria’s flight regularity would be restored within two weeks. The airline will submit a report to Rosaviatsiya detailing the results of implemented corrective actions and measures taken to improve on-time performance.

Previously, on April 3rd, Rosaviatsiya Head Dmitry Yadrov discussed the ongoing issue of AlMasria’s flight delays with the Ambassador of Egypt, Nazih El Naggari. As early as December 2024, the Ministry of Transport and Rosaviatsiya urged the carrier to respect passenger rights as stipulated by law.

AlMasria Universal Airlines, a private Egyptian airline founded in 2008, had its authorization to operate flights in the EU temporarily suspended twice by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2022 and 2023 due to safety concerns.