CAIRO, August 25. /TASS/. Egyptian authorities have not received any requests for flights to Afghanistan from local air carriers, a source in the country’s Civil Aviation Authority told TASS on Wednesday.

"Not a single Egyptian airline applied for a permit or authorization to make flights to Afghanistan," the source said. "The Authority on its part has also not issued any permits for civilian flights to this country because the airspace of Afghanistan is closed for civil aviation," he added. 

Earlier, President and owner of the private Egyptian air carrier AlMasria Universal Airlines Ahmed Ismail told the Al Mal news outlet that the company had received requests from 30 countries to make flights to Kabul for the evacuation of citizens. The company awaits approval from competent Egyptian authorities, the businessman said in his comments.

Meanwhile, the authorized agencies of Egypt are not going to authorize flights to Afghanistan at this stage even if such requests are received from air carriers not flying there before, another source in the Egypt’s aviation industry told TASS. AlMasria is a low-cost airline and has about five airplanes at its disposal, mainly flying between cities of Europe and Saudi Arabia and Egyptian resorts, the source said. Statements were made by the President of AlMasria for the purpose of "self-promotion and advertising his company," the source added.