Egypt to open museum at Cairo airport amid tourism slump

Egypt's state news agency says a new museum will open soon at the Cairo International Airport.

Antiquities Minister Mamdouh el-Damaty tells the news agency Thursday that the museum, opening Monday, will hold 38 pieces from Egypt's various historical periods.

El-Damaty tells the news agency the move will help boost transit tourism.

Battered by years of political turmoil, Egypt's tourism sector took another blow after the Oct. 31 Russian passenger plane crash in the Sinai Peninsula that killed all 224 people on board, mostly Russian vacationers. An investigation into the crash, which Russia said was caused by a bomb, is still ongoing.

Following the crash, the United Kingdom suspended flights to Sharm el-Sheikh, and Russia suspended all flights to Egypt, also banning EgyptAir from flying to Moscow.