Over 8,000 Ukrainian Tourists Evacuated from Egypt: Embassy

More than 8,000 Ukrainian tourists were evacuated from Egypt to Ukraine’s neighboring countries in recent days, Ukrainian Chargé d’Affaires in Egypt Ruslan Nechai said on Wednesday.

In media statements, Nechai said that 8,608 Ukrainian tourists have been evacuated on 36 EgyptAir flights.

Early March, EgyptAir and Cairo Air airlines began flying out Ukrainian tourists who want to leave at the expense of the Egyptian government.

Ukraine’s airspace was closed to civilian flights following the Russian invasion of the country in late February.

The Ukrainian embassy in Cairo coordinated with the Egyptian foreign and tourism ministries to evacuate nearly 20,000 Ukrainian tourists to Ukraine’s neighboring countries, especially Poland, Hungry and Slovakia, in two stages.

The Ukrainian Chargé d’Affaires in Egypt expressed his appreciation for Egypt, the Egyptian foreign and tourism ministries, as well as the Egyptian Hotel Association for supporting and hosting Ukrainian tourists who could not return due the invasion.

When the crisis started, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said that all Ukrainian and Russian tourists were welcome to extend their stay at Egyptian hotels.

The Egyptian Hotel Association announced that the Tourism and Antiquities Fund would pay for Ukrainian tourists stranded in the country to stay at three-star hotels.