Putin authorizes resumption of regular flights to Cairo

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on the resumption of regular flights to Egypt's capital, Cairo after a two-year hiatus, according to the official Russian web portal for legal information on Thursday.

The order, which went into effect on Tuesday, does not apply to flights to the tourist resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh, and Hurghada.

Moscow had stopped flights to Cairo after a Russian plane crashed shortly after takeoff over the Sinai peninsula in October 2015, killing all 224 people on board.

On Dec. 15, Russia and Egypt signed a protocol regarding cooperation in civil aviation security.

Last month, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said that the regular flight connection between Cairo and Moscow would be "fully" restored in early Feb.