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An Egypt Air Airbus 340 passenger plane touched down at Capital International Airport in Beijing at 20:00 Tuesday (Beijing Time) following a nine-hour voyage from the Egyptian capital of Cairo.
The inaugural flight marked the commencement of direct flights between the two capitals by Egypt Air.
Egypt Air flights are scheduled twice a week, departing Cairo at 4:30 a.m. (Cairo Time), every Tuesday and Friday.
Industry sources say the initiation of direct flights between Cairo and Beijing will promote political, cultural and economic exchanges between the two countries.
Effective May 1, 2002, Chinese travel agencies were permitted to organize tourist groups to visit Egypt. The new direct flight service will reduce travel time significantly.
Up until recently, Chinese tourists had to stop over in Singapore, Malaysia or Turkey, said Fathy M. Attia, district manager of Egypt Air for China operations.
The initiation of direct flights has resulted in a price reduction of about 2,000 yuan (US$242) for group tours organized by Chinese travel agencies, according to official sources.
Last year, 15,000 Chinese citizens visited Egypt at their own expense, up some 40 percent year-on-year, said Naser Abdel Aal, consul of tourism affairs at the Egyptian Embassy to China.
(Xinhua News Agency January 29, 2003)
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