Russian tourists were stranded in Hurghada, Egypt, for 13 hours after a Red Sea Airlines flight to Moscow suffered a technical breakdown.
The passengers were due to fly to Moscow Vnukovo International Airport on Monday, August 24, aboard flight 4S-341, but only reached the Russian capital on the night of August 25, according to the Telegram channel Krysha TurDoma.
One passenger reported that the flight was originally scheduled to depart Hurghada at 11:40 am on Monday. Travellers were later informed that the aircraft had broken down, and passengers were rebooked onto a Nesma Airlines flight that eventually departed at 00:20 am on Tuesday.
Overnight stay and seat shortages
During the extended wait, the stranded tourists were provided with accommodation at the Nesma hotel. However, nine passengers were left behind when the replacement flight was unable to accommodate everyone due to insufficient seat capacity on the aircraft.
A Russian traveller at the hotel said that an escort representative walked around the premises to identify passengers who were travelling without children, with the intention of keeping them back for a later flight.
Hurghada is a major resort city situated on the Red Sea coast of Egypt, while Vnukovo International Airport is one of the main international airports serving Moscow. Red Sea Airlines is an Egyptian charter carrier operating routes between Egyptian destinations and international cities, while Nesma Airlines operates flights across Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Previous flight disruption in Sharm el-Sheikh
The incident follows a similar disruption experienced by Russian holidaymakers in Egypt earlier in the month. On August 7, passengers were stranded for more than four hours in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh due to a faulty air conditioning system on another Red Sea Airlines aircraft.
Sharm el-Sheikh, located on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, is another popular Red Sea tourism hub handling extensive charter flight traffic from Russia.
