Egyptair has decided to resume the Cairo-Beijing direct flights starting from October 30, Beijing News reported on Tuesday.

The move aims to meet the needs of growing exchanges between the two countries and attract more tourists from China, the report said.

Egyptair, Egypt's national carrier, will operate four flights weekly between Cairo and Beijing, with a stopover in Bangkok, Thailand.

The air route, launched by Egyptair in January 2003, was later suspended due to lack of passengers in the wake of the outbreak of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in China.

(Xinhua News Agency October 12, 2005)