President Vladimir Putin authorised the resumption of regular Russian airline flights to Cairo, according to a document published on the Moscow government’s website on Thursday. Putin’s clearance for flights to resume was effective from 2 January, the Russian government document said, though it gave no timeline for the actual resumption of service. Egyptian airport sources said flights would first resume between Cairo and Moscow in February, and negotiations about restoring flights to the Red Sea resorts of Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada, popular with Russian tourists, will follow in April. “The resumption of flights between Russia and Cairo is a very good sign, giving hope that charter flights to the Red Sea resorts will be possible soon,” Russia’s RIA news agency quoted the head of Russia’s tour operators association, Maya Lomidze, as saying.