The Egyptian embassy in Berlin has successfully managed to get Germany to lift restrictions to flights to Sharm El Sheikh, the Foreign Affairs Ministry announced. The German transportation ministry removed a restriction on German airlines that required them to fly at a minimum altitude of 26,000 feet above South Sinai. The restriction was imposed in October 2015, in the wake of the Metrojet flight crash, and lifting it means airlines can now resume flying directly to Sharm El Sheikh and St. Catherine international airports without paying additional insurance fees.

Meanwhile on the Russian front, Civil Aviation Minister Sherif Fathi will also be visiting Moscow on 8-9 February to resume talks on the return of Russian flights to Cairo with state officials, according to Russian news agency TASS. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich told the media that a meeting with Fathi is yet to be scheduled but that “the decision on Cairo is close,” refusing to give any set dates, according to Russia’s state-owned Sputnik. Russian Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov had said earlier that air travel could resume as early as January or February, first to Cairo then the Red Sea coast. Sources told TASS last week, however, that air travel was not likely to come back before March.

… In contrast, Israel advised its citizens to leave Sinai last Tuesday, “warning of the threat of an imminent attack,” Reuters reported. "The directorate warns of the possibility of attacks against tourist sites in the Sinai area in the immediate term," a statement said.