Are Russian flights returning to the Red Sea this coming winter? A delegation of Russian tour companies reportedly expect flights between Moscow and Red Sea destinations to start up again in the winter. The group visited Hurghada last week to sample potential packages they could offer tourists when flights resume, Egypt Independent reports. Last we heard, talks between Russia and Egypt over the resumption of charter flights to Red Sea destinations were set to take place after the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Representatives of Egypt’s Civil Aviation Ministry had visited Russia during the tournament to discuss the timeline of the talks. Russia had restored direct flights between Cairo and Moscow in April following a ban instituted since the Metrojet crash in 2015.

In other news from the Ruskies, the first unit for the dry storage of spent nuclear fuel from the Dabaa power plant are expected to be ready before 2028, when the plant is expected to come fully online, Russia’s Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Georgy Kalamanov said on Thursday, RT’s Arabic service reports. The units will be portable and allow Rosatom, who’s building the Dabaa nuclear power plant, to move the fuel to be reused at any of its other projects around the world. Construction on the USD 30 bn is expected to begin in just over two years. The names of local contractors who will be hired to work on the project should be announced in two months’ time.