Garuda Indonesia airlines has resumed direct flights between Japan and the resort island of Bali for the first time in nearly two years.

The first direct flight for Bali took off on Thursday from Narita Airport, near Tokyo. Twelve passengers were on board, including people from Japan's tourism industry.

Indonesia had been canceling flights due to the coronavirus pandemic. But since October, Jakarta has slowly started accepting tourists in Bali and other destinations, from a limited number of countries. The Indonesian government is asking passengers to be vaccinated and meet other requirements.

Garuda Indonesia says it plans to operate direct flights once a week from Japan to Bali.

Singapore Airlines is also resuming direct service to and from Bali, starting on February 16.

An airport official in Bali says the resumptions are more than welcome.