The pilot advised them not to get upset: Russians stranded in Egypt due to sanctions

The European Union has "closed the sky" for the Turkish airline Southwind Airlines because of its ties to Russia. Egyptian Air Cairo was added to the list of affiliates, which left Russian tourists stranded in Egypt.

"We sat for about an hour and a half on the plane. Then the captain of the ship said over the loudspeaker that our departure is canceled completely because Eurocontrol has banned us from flying probably for a day or two. He added that we do not have to get upset," one of the passengers said, according to RBC.

As reported by the Turkish industry publication Turizm Guncel, Brussels introduced such a measure under Regulation 833/2014, which is related to sanctions against Russia over Ukraine. The Russian association clarified that tourists who were supposed to depart from Sharm el-Sheikh on Air Cairo flight SM903 faced a delay. According to an ATOR source, this airline could also be recognized by the EU authorities as affiliated with Southwind.

Flight SM903 is carrying tourists from Coral Travel and PEGAS Touristik. At the moment, both tour operators transport customers to hotels, providing them with accommodation and meals. Earlier, Airways Magazine reported that Finland did not allow Southwind Airlines to fly to its territory as the local aviation agency Traficom found violations of European legislation by the carrier.

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