The flights of Copts in such a large number had started on Thursday (April 5) with 61 Copts, followed by other flights.

Official sources at Cairo International Airport said the airlift is considered the first of its kind to carry Egyptians to Israel since the peace treaty between the two countries was signed in 1979.

Two flights a day have been operating since Thursday with planes up to 104 seats each. [Zīyād Hassan, al-Shurūq al-Jadīd, April 9, p. 3] Read text in Arabic