Cairo-Damascus flights could resume within two months, ending a 15-year suspension

Egypt and Syria are reportedly set to end a 15-year-long suspension of direct flights between Cairo and Damascus in less than two months, sources told Al Arabiya. Officials from both nations recently discussed steps to resume flights between them, ease travel for citizens, and strengthen bilateral ties, according to state news agency SANA. Flights between Syria and Egypt have been suspended since Syria’s security situation deteriorated in 2011.

And while flights have been slowly making their way back to Damascus and Aleppo, EgyptAir is yet to join them.

New vehicles for old deals

The government cleared four new state-linked companies and three capital increases, according to a cabinet statement. Two of the new formations include the Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority’s Nile Ferchem for Phosphate Fertilizers and a property JV between Alexandria Company for Investment and Urban Development and Saudi developer Sadeen. No ownership splits, investment values, or project details were disclosed for either.

Indorama gets its local vehicle: The third formation involves Phosphate Misr, which received approval to establish Indorama Misr Fertilizers. The company will house Singapore-based Indorama’s USD 525 mn Sokhna phosphate fertilizer plant, which is expected to produce 600k tons annually in its first phase, with 80% of output earmarked for export.

Quick Fuel moves forward: The fourth formation the cabinet approved was the establishment of IPO-bound Quick Fuel, which will hold Taqa Arabia’s assets under its recent acquisition of 10% of 172 Wataneya stations

Capital hikes: The cabinet greenlit capital increases for Strategic Warehouses for Medical Products and Devices, South Valley Development, and the JV between Elsewedy Electric and Egypt Steel — Elsewedy National Industries and Engineering. The statement did not disclose the size, funding source, or intended use of any of the increases.

Why it matters: The approvals move several previously announced plans into their corporate implementation phase while opening the door to new ventures across mining, fertilizers, fuel retail, and real estate. They also reflect the government’s company-by-company approach to state ownership, with dedicated vehicles, private-sector partnerships, and selective capital injections for different assets.

Alexandria’s new Adriatic link

The Alexandria Port Authority and Montenegro Ports Authority inked an MoU to cooperate on port management, digital transformation, and capacity building, according to a statement from the Investment Ministry. The agreement was signed on the sidelines of Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović’s first official visit to Egypt, where he also met Investment Minister Mohamed Farid and business leaders from both countries. Separately, Farid also expressed interest in a future direct shipping line between Egypt and Montenegro.

New embassy incoming: Milatović also announced Montenegro will open its first African embassy in Cairo. Milatović framed the Cairo embassy as part of Montenegro’s push to use Egypt as a gateway to regional markets ahead of its 2028 EU accession target.

IN CONTEXT- Trade between the two countries currently remains thin, although a trade mission to Montenegro is in the works and both governments aim to finalize a broader economic cooperation agreement, alongside a tourism pact intended to be approved by the end of the year.

Russia clears the runway

Russia has granted preliminary accreditation to Alamein and Alexandria international airports, easing the way for seasonal flights to Egypt, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. The nod came during a meeting between Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN ministerial meeting in Manila. Moscow said the move would support Russian tourist flows to Egypt.

Why it matters: The move is a small but concrete tourism step in a wider Egypt-Russia economic corridor spanning travel, industry, energy, and commodity logistics. It also lands as Egypt is expanding charter-flight incentives covering major gateways including Alamein and Borg El Arab, giving the government another tool to attract more Russian tourists into the north coast and Alexandria.

The meeting also had an economic pipeline: The two sides discussed steps to establish a logistics center for grain and petroleum products in Egypt, while Abdelatty noted progress on the Russian Industrial Zone (RIZ) in the Suez Canal Economic Zone and the recent installation of the second reactor pressure vessel at Dabaa. No details were disclosed on the logistics center’s location, investment value, capacity, or timeline.

More under our radar:

• Galala University inked an MoU with Austria's Montanuniversität Leoben to deepen cooperation in higher education, research, and innovation focused on engineering, energy, and geoscience, according to a press release.
• Hassan Allam Holding and Turkey’s Rönesans are mulling an integrated medical complex in Cairo to be developed under a Public-Private Partnership framework, according to a statement. The complex will have a total capacity of 4.2k beds.