The step marks the return of direct English charter flights to Luxor after a nearly decade-long hiatus, Mohamed Hassan, a member of the Luxor Chamber of Travel and Tourism Agencies, told local news website Cairo 24.

Flights to Luxor will commence on 11 November from London Gatwick Airport, operating twice weekly on Mondays and Thursdays, as announced by easyJet in July.

Luxor, renowned for its ancient temples and tombs, is home to iconic monuments such as the Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Karnak.

Reintroducing the London-Luxor route is part of the company’s broader strategy to expand its winter destinations across Europe and North Africa, easyJet noted.

The British carrier also announced plans to launch new winter flights to Sharm El-Sheikh from Liverpool.

The inaugural flight to the charming Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh is scheduled for 14 February and will operate twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities’ recent report, Egypt attracted 7.069 million tourists between January and June 2024, compared to 7.062 million in the same period last year.

Tourism is one of Egypt’s main sources of foreign currency.

In the first half of 2024, tourism revenues reached $6.6 billion, according to the report.

Egypt has an ambitious plan to attract 30 million tourists by 2028.