Egypt’s flagship airline EgyptAir is set to resume flights between Cairo and Tokyo, Japan starting October following a four-year suspension, a statement by the airline read on Thursday.

EgyptAir chairman Safwat Mosalam said that flights would resume starting 29 October, with one flight scheduled every Saturday evening.

The number of flights could increase depending on the demand in the Egyptian tourism market, according to Mosalam.

“The resumption of flights reflects Egypt's keenness to be present in the Japanese travel market,” Mosalam said.

Weekly EgyptAir flights to Tokyo and Osaka were suspended in 2012 following a decline in the number of Japanese tourists visiting Egypt. Flights were briefly resumed before were suspended again in 2013.

Egypt has been seeking to attract more tourists from Asian markets following a drop in Russian tourists – who rank first among foreign visitors to the country – since Russia suspended flights after a Russian airliner crashed shortly after taking off from Egypt’s Red Sea resort town Sharm El-Sheikh.

In November 2016, EgyptAir resumed direct flights between its popular tourist hub Luxor and Tokyo in an effort to "revive tourism to [Luxor], which is considered one of the most important touristic destinations in Upper Egypt,” according to EgyptAir.

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