Second plane brings to Moscow from Egypt luggage of Russian tourists

The second Russian Emergencies Ministry plane carrying luggage of Russian tourists has arrived in Moscow from Egypt, the ministry’s press service told TASS. "The ministry’s Ilyushin Il-76 from Hurghada has landed at the Vnukovo airport," the press service said. "It carries about 30 tonnes of luggage - more than 1,500 bags and cases belonging to Russian tourists, who had left Hurghada earlier by twelve flights." The Vnukovo airport ground services will unload the luggage that will be stored in specially designated places from where it will be handed over to the owners or transported further to other Russian regions and cities. Earlier, the Russian Transport Ministry and Rosaviatisya (Federal Air Transport Agency) defined the further procedure of handing over the luggage to the passengers. Regular flights will deliver the luggage from Moscow to airports of destination in Russian regions. Russian Post will also be involved in delivering the luggage to the owners. Vnukovo International Airport has launched a special service for identifying the unclaimed luggage arriving from Egypt. Its photos will be published at Vnukovo’s official website in the Passenger Information section. Passengers who recognize their luggage should contact the airport’s information service by telephone: +7 495 937-55-55. Earlier on Sunday, "an Il-76 plane of the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations has landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport. It brought about 30 tonnes of luggage belonging to passengers from several flights that had left Egypt without it on Saturday. The cargo consists of more than 1,100 suitcases and travel bags, each of which weighs approximately 25 tonnes," the press service said. "These are the personal things of tourists from eight flights which left Sharm el-Sheikh," the Russian Emergencies Ministry clarified. Thus, by Sunday afternoon, two planes have delivered to Moscow 60 tonnes of cargo - over 2,700 bags and cases. The emergencies ministry said earlier, four planes would deliver to the Moscow airport the luggage of Russian tourists, who had left Egypt. On Friday, November 6, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin supported recommendations of the national anti-terror committee to suspend flights to Egypt. The presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov explained the flights will be suspended not to end of investigation into crash of Kagalymavia’s plane, but until necessary security is provided. Putin ordered organisation of support to Russian nationals’ return home from Egypt. From 10p.m. Moscow time on Friday, all regular, transit and chartered flights from Russia to Egypt, carrying passengers, were suspended. On Saturday, November 7, Deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkovich, who is head of the government’s commission on suspended flights to Egypt, said about 80,000 Russian citizens were staying in Egypt, mostly in Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh. Russian Kogalymavia’s A321 plane, en-route from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, crashed in the early morning of October 31 just some 20 minutes after its takeoff. The disaster site is 100 kilometres (62 miles) south of the administrative centre of North Sinai Governorate, the city of Al-Arish. Flight 9268 carried 217 passengers and seven crewmembers and they were all officially announced dead following the tragic accident. Most passengers were Russian nationals. Among the passengers onboard were also four Ukrainian citizens and one Belarusian national.