Putin approves Moscow-Cairo flights after 2-year ban following downing of plane

Russian leader okays resumption of suspended service to Egyptian capital, but not other destinations in the country

By AP 4 January 2018, 4:42 pm

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Russian President Vladimir Putin attends his New Year address to Russians in central Moscow on December 31, 2017. (Alexey NIKOLSKY/AFP)

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin approved Thursday the resumption of commercial passenger flights to Cairo more than two years after they were halted due to security concerns following the deadly bombing of a Russian airliner.

The attack by the local Islamic State group affiliate brought down the airliner over the Sinai Peninsula in October 2015, killing all 224 people aboard.

The bombing was a severe blow to Egypt’s tourism industry. Authorities spent millions of dollars to upgrade airport security.

Egyptian and Russian officials in December signed a protocol to allow direct Moscow-Cairo flights to resume in February.

Putin approved changes in the order that suspended flights to Egypt, according to a document published Thursday on a government website. It did not lift the ban on flights to other Egyptian destinations.

In the wake of the IS bombing, Britain, another major source of visitors to Egypt, suspended flights to Sharm el-Sheikh, the Red Sea resort in Sinai from which the doomed Russian airliner took off.