Air Sinai has launched a new route to shuttle Coptic Christians between Egypt and Israel, allowing pilgrims to visit their most holy sites for the first time in decades. The development comes in the wake of the death of Patriarch Shenouda III, the head of the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church, who for decades prohibited Copts from traveling to Jerusalem and other sites due to the "Israeli occupation." According to sources at Cairo International Airport, 208 Coptic Christians arrived in Israel on Friday, and were expected to visit Christian holy sites ahead of Easter, celebrated on April 15.
