British travel agencies to reconsider Sharm el-Sheikh flight ban

The UK Foreign Office said it has not raised the threat level of Sharm el Sheikh itself, although any UK tourists there have been told they will need to make their own arrangements for returning to the UK, The Independent newspaper reported.

“We will continue working with the Egyptian Authorities to enable regular flights between the UK and Sharm el Sheikh to resume. We are also liaising with travel companies so that they are able to resume flights and holidays in Sharm el Sheikh as soon as appropriate security arrangements are in place.”

Egypt is losing an estimated £120m a month as the UK ban on flights to Sharm el Sheikh continues, after a passenger plane was shot down over Sinai by Isis last October 31, killing 224 people.

Visitor numbers to Sharm el-Sheikh have declined by around 85 per cent since the Russian plane was attacked during a journey from Sharm el-Sheik to St Petersburg, with countries including Russia and the UK suspending flights to the tourist destination.

The UK Foreign Office is continuing to advise against all but essential air travel to Sharm el-Sheikh, while there are still no UK airlines operating in the area, which has previously relied heavily on tourism.