First direct Cairo-Tehran flight in over 30 years

The first direct flight from Egypt to Iran in more than 30 years took off from the Cairo International Airport on Saturday, airport officials said.The Air Memphis plane, chartered by Egyptian businessman Ramy Lakah, is the first direct flight between the capitals since the two countries severed ties over 30 year ago.The flight, which was carrying the Iranian charge d'affaires and his family to Tehran, will then fly back to Egypt's Southern city of Aswan, airport officials told AFP.Egyptian officials said recently that scheduled charter flights between Iran and Egypt would be announced soon, but no date has yet been set.Civil Aviation Minister Wael El-Maadawy had said the flights would link the historic cities of Luxor, Aswan, and Abu Simbel in Southern Egypt with the Islamic republic.After the collapse of Hosni Mubarak's regime, the Iranian and Egyptian officials voiced their interest in the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries and Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi officially invited the then Egyptian counterpart Nabil Al-Arabi to pay a visit to Tehran.Later, the Iranian foreign minister and his former Egyptian counterpart also held a meeting in Bali, Indonesia.Also, during the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran late August, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Egyptian counterpart Mohammad Mursi conferred on ways to promote the bilateral relations between Tehran and Cairo, and stressed the need for continued consultations in this regard.In the latest development, Ahmadinejad met with Mursi in Egypt in January, and reiterated Tehran's preparedness to resume ties with Cairo.The two presidents explored avenues for the further expansion of mutual cooperation between their countries.President Ahmadinejad pointed to the ancient histories and civilizations of Iran and Egypt, and said that the two countries play crucial roles in regional politics."The relations of the two nations have always moved on a positive trend and we should now utilize all potentials to enhance the level of these relations," he said.Ahmadinejad noted that the Islamic Republic is ready to resume and broaden its relations with Egypt in all fields.President Mursi, for his part, stressed Tehran and Cairo's key role and influence in the region and the world, and said, "Today, cooperation between Iran and Egypt is necessary in all fields."