Flights from Russia to tourist destinations in Egypt could resume soon, according to Russia’s deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkivich.

Dvorkivich said that flights from Russia to Red Sea destinations such as Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurgada are likely to resume soon. “I am not telling the time, but I think the decision on Cairo is close.”

Earlier this month Russia’s transport minister also said that a meeting between Egyptian and Russian aviation security specialists will take place in February following the latest round of inspections carried out by Russian officials at the beginning of the month.

Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt’s most popular island resort, has suffered a steep drop in tourist numbers in 2016 following the crash of the Russian Airbus A321 plane, operated by Metrojet, on 31 October 2015, killing all 224 passengers on board after taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh airport. The downing of the plane, thought to be due to a bomb, was claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis).

The UK’s British Airways has suspended flights between Gatwick Airport and Sharm el-Sheikh indefinitely, while British low-cost carrier Monarch Airlines has not so far resumed flights to the island. Turkish Airlines has resumed direct flights to the island in September 2016 and the Russian government said in December flights to the island resort could resume ‘soon.’