Russia removes restrictions on passenger flights to Cairo

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the resumption of commercial passenger air travel between Cairo and Russia, which was suspended following a terrorist downing of a Russian plane in 2015. National carries EgyptAir announced that flights between the two countries' capitals are expected to start up as early as February. Routes to other destinations in the African country, including Egypt's resorts, formerly popular with Russian tourists, remain suspended. Metrojet Flight 9268 from Sharm El Sheikh to St. Petersburg was downed by a bomb on 31 October, 2015 killing all 224 people on board. Islamic State took responsibility for the incident, which was ruled to be a terrorist attack by both Russian and Egyptian investigators.