Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved the resumption of commercial passenger flights to the Egyptian capital, more than two years after they were halted due to security concerns.
Putin authorized the resumption of regular civilian flights from Russia to Cairo, according to a document published on the Russian government's online legislation database on January 4.
It did not lift the ban on commercial passenger flights to other destinations in Egypt.
Russia suspended all flights to Egypt after a Russian jet exploded over the Sinai Peninsula on October 31, 2015, killing all 224 people on board.
The extremist group Islamic State claimed it had placed a bomb aboard the plane, which was carrying Russian holidaymakers to St. Petersburg from the Egyptian beach resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
The suspension of flights was a major blow to Egypt's economy, which relies heavily on tourism.
More than 30 percent of the tourists who visited Egypt in recent years before the bombing were from Russia.
