On restoring flights with Russia, Egyptian officials say one thing, while the Russians say another: Carriers EgyptAir and Aeroflot have not yet received permits for flights between Cairo and Moscow from Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, said Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency head Alexander Neradko, TASS reports. This followed comments by Egypt’s ambassador to Russia, Ehab Nasr, that the last remaining obstacle to the resumption of flights was for the two airlines to agree on procedures and details among themselves. Earlier in the week, Bassem Abdul Karim, a top advisor at the Civil Aviation Ministry, said EgyptAir and Aeroflot had received all permits for flights between Moscow and Cairo, starting from 1 February. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich has said that both governments need to sign a separate security agreement before flights can resume.

Conflicting remarks suggests outstanding security issues remain? The rhetoric from Russia appears to suggest that so-called “procedures and details” such as setting up a gate at Cairo International Airport exclusively for Russians, may be part of further security measures demanded by Moscow. Officials at CAI insisted yesterday to Al Mal that this is not the case and noted that flights to the US have their own specific gate. They added that the airport had acquiesced to setting up a boarding terminal for Russians.

In other procedural matters, TASS notes that “Aeroflot plans to fly to the Egyptian capital from the Moscow based airport of Sheremetyevo twice a week — on Saturday and Wednesday. Egyptian national carrier EgyptAir plans to carry out three flights to the Russian capital via Domodedovo, another Moscow-based airport — on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.”