Egypt, Britain mull joint plan to resume flights to Sharm

British Ambassador in Cairo John Casson said on Monday he was authorized by his government to agree on a joint plan with Egypt to restore flights between the UK and Sharm ElSheikh.

"I was given a mandate from my government to agree a joint action plan by the end of November for the return of flights as soon as possible. I am pleased to say that Egypt and the United Kingdom have today finalized that plan," Casson said in a press release.

He termed the plan as "a significant and welcome step forward."

"The implementation of the measures agreed will start immediately," he said.

"The next steps are for implementation to proceed and then to be confirmed by both Governments, so that UK operators can make the necessary decisions to return flights to Sharm al-Sheikh as soon as possible."

The diplomat was speaking following a meeting with Egyptian Tourism Hisham Zaazou.

He said "Britain was the first to take precautionary action in Sharm El Sheikh and we want to be the first to help find a solution. "

"The British and Egyptian governments have been in constant contact in order to agree a way forward, including through the visit of the Deputy National Security Adviser to Cairo from 18-19 November," Casson said.

He said he was "very grateful to the Egyptian authorities for their continued cooperation as we work together to restore flights."

London decided to halt flights to the resort city of Sharm El Sheikh following the crash of a Russian passenger plane over Sinai. Moscow has blamed a bomb blast for the incident which left over 220 people dead.

Cairo is still conducting a multi-party investigation into the crash. It vows to announce transparently the results of the probe.

Sources: MENA