Egypt's Cairo International Airport received the first ever Fly Baghdad flight from Iraq's Al-Najaf International Airport, a statement by the Ministry of Civil Aviation said.
The Fly Baghdad flight, carrying 111 Iraqi tourists on board, was welcomed Saturday with a water cannon salute as the first flight by the operator to land in Cairo.
Fly Baghdad chairman Beshir Al-Shabny said only one flight will be operated weekly in January, with the airliner planning to increase flights to two in February.
The private Iraqi airliner is expected to operate four flights to Cairo during the upcoming summer season for tourists eying to spend their vacations in Egypt's tourist hotspots, he added.
He said that Egypt is a main destination for Iraqi tourists, and Iraqi students studying in Egypt.
Egypt aims to attract 12 million tourists in FY 2019/2020, an 11 percent increase on the number of tourists in FY 2018/2019.
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