Charter flights between Egypt and Iran to resume

Charter flights between Egypt and Iran [2] will begin within the coming weeks, Egyptian Civil Aviation Minister Wael El-Maadawy announced on Wednesday.

Flights will link Luxor, Aswan, and Abu Simbel in Upper Egypt with the Islamic Republic.

El-Maadawy's statement came after an agreement between Egyptian Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou and Iranian officials in Tehran in February.

Tourism between the two countries [3] has been almost non-existent since all bilateral relations were severed following Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. 

A private carrier owned by businessman Ramy Lakah is expected to run the new routes, El-Maadawy said.

The visit to Cairo by Iranian President Ahmadinejad in February was considered by many observers to be a groundbreaking step in relations between Egypt and Iran.

Earlier this month, Egypt and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote tourism between the two countries.

Hot air balloons to operate again

El-Maadawy said the ban on hot air balloons flights would be lifted within days.

Strict controls and supervision would be imposed on hot air balloons flights, with periodic follow-ups to ensure accidents do not occur in future, he added.

"Investigations are almost over [into last month's hot air balloon crash] and we are analysing the cause of the accident. The results will be referred to the International Organisation for Civil Aviation," El-Maadawy said.

On 26 February, a hot air balloon crashed [4] near the Upper Egyptian city of Luxor, killing 19 Asian and European tourists. Only the pilot and one British tourist survived the accident that took place after a gas canister on the balloon exploded.

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