A British World War II-era airplane that was found in Egypt's Western Desert earlier this year – after having been lost for seven decades – is now on its way to Egypt's Al-Alamein Museum.

The military museum in Al-Alamein first opened its doors in 1956 to serve as a memorial for soldiers that fell in the bloody Battle of Al-Alamein, which took place between British and German forces in 1942.

The airplane, a Kittyhawk P-40, had belonged to the British Royal Air force.

The 70-year-old plane was discovered in May when a worker at a Polish petroleum company stumbled across it by accident.

Magdi Selim, head of domestic tourism at Egypt's Tourism Authority, told Al-Ahram's Arabic-language news website on Tuesday that transport of the airplane to the museum would likely be filmed by media outlets and subsequently aired on Egyptian television.

Selim expressed hope that the discovery would have a positive impact on Egypt's tourism sector – which has struggled since last year's Tahrir Square uprising – especially in Egypt's Western Desert.