It’s official: the Ruskies are coming back. Moscow’s Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo airports have added Cairo to their February timetable, according to news agency Interfax. Starting 1 February, EgyptAir will be operating three weekly flights to and from both airports on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized the resumption of air travel between Moscow and Cairo earlier this week after a more than two-year hiatus following the October 2015 Metrojet flight crash in Sinai. Putin’s nod followed the signing of a civil aviation security protocol between both countries, which came after Egypt implemented a series of security upgrades to its airports at Moscow’s request. Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said additional security measures would be needed before flights are restored between Russia and other Egyptian airports, such as Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada. The status of charter flights will be discussed at an April 2018 meeting. The Tourism Ministry said this week that it expects some 2 mn Russian visitors in Egypt in 2018.

As for that totally unrelated power plant: Russia’s Rosatom has reportedly begun the procedures to obtain a license to build and operate the Dabaa nuclear power plant, sources from the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA) tell Daily News Egypt. As we noted last month, the extent of the red tape involved could delay breaking ground on the project. Beyond receiving approval from the EAEA, the project will also need a sign-off from the Environment Ministry before construction can begin.