Egypt: Officials say resumption of Russian flights delayed

The planned resumption of Russian flights to Egypt over two years after they were banned by Moscow over security concerns has been postponed until April, Cairo airport officials said Tuesday, citing delays in booking procedures and the reopening of offices of the countries' national airlines. Modern baggage-scanning equipment has been installed and Russian security will be allowed to oversee operations in Cairo as part of the reopening of the route, initially planned for February, they said, hinting that the main requirements placed by Russia have been met and the reason for the delays could lie elsewhere. The move comes as a setback for Egypt, which has hoped for a resumption of the flights for months, when its warm winter weather draws tourists from countries to the north, including what was once a large amount from Russia. Airport officials gave no further reason for the delay. Moscow banned the flights following the deadly bombing of a Russian airliner. Its Transport Ministry did not give much of an explanation for the delay, saying only in a statement that "all political decisions" on the resumption of the flights have been made, and calling on "all parties involved" to speed up the planned resumption. <br/>