Cairo: Civil Aviation Minister Sameh el Hefny met with Kazakhstan's Ambassador in Cairo Askar Zhengis at the ministry's headquarters to discuss a range of issues of mutual interest in civil aviation, foremost among them the potential resumption of the direct Cairo-Almaty route.

According to State Information Service Egypt, the meeting also explored ways to boost air traffic between Egypt and Kazakhstan in line with travel demand, as well as opportunities to strengthen bilateral cooperation in civil aviation in support of economic, tourism, and trade relations between the two countries.

Hefny underscored the importance of the Kazakh market to Egypt's aviation and tourism sectors, highlighting the promising opportunities created by growing travel between Egypt and Central Asian countries. He stressed the need to capitalize on this growth and further enhance air connectivity between the two countries.

For his part, Zhengis praised the strong and longstanding relations between Egypt and Kazakhstan, expressing his country's keenness to deepen cooperation with Egypt in civil aviation in a way that serves the mutual interests of both countries. He stressed the importance of restoring the direct Cairo-Almaty route and maintaining coordination and consultations with the Egyptian side on the necessary steps toward its resumption, noting that the move would contribute to boosting tourism and strengthening ties between the two countries.