British Airways and easyJet suspend Sharm el-Sheikh flights until new year

British Airways and easyJet have announced they will not use Sharm el-Sheikh airport until at least the new year, disrupting thousands of holidaymakers’ Christmas plans.

British Airways and easyJet suspend Sharm el-Sheikh flights until new year

British Airways and easyJet have announced they will not use Sharm el-Sheikh airport until at least the new year, disrupting thousands of holidaymakers’ Christmas plans.

And Thomson Airways has said it will not use the Egyptian destination up to and including December 9, amid security concerns following the terrorist bombing of a Russian airliner.

Around 5,000 passengers were booked on easyJet flights to the Red Sea resort.

It has announced it will not fly in or out until January 6.

Meanwhile, BA said its flights to Sharm will be suspended until January 14. It is keeping flights after that under review.

Flights between the UK and the Egyptian resort were suspended earlier this month and the Foreign Office has warned against all but essential travel to the airport.

EasyJet’s decision to announce the extended cancellation was taken following talks with the Department for Transport (DfT).

The airline apologised for the inconvenience but “the situation is beyond our control and passenger safety will always be our number one priority”.

A spokeswoman said: “To help provide some certainty for passengers over the Christmas period, easyJet will be cancelling all flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh until January 6, 2016 and offering our passengers the choice of a full refund, a flight voucher or a flight to another destination within the easyJet network such as the Canary Islands.”

A BA spokesman said: “The safety and security of our customers will continue to be our top priorities in any decisions we may make.”

BA said customers can get a refund or use the value of the ticket or holiday towards an alternative break.

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) said the decision whether to use Sharm airport was not made by operators, but by the UK authorities, and flights will only start again when they are satisfied security is strong enough.

ABTA spokesman Sean Tipton said: “The airlines are setting dates to give people a bit of certainty on where they stand.

“The decision is not theirs about when the airport will be available again to use and there will be a degree of inconsistency in their policies because it is a value judgment.”

The Government suspended flights to Sharm on November 4 after an Airbus 321 operated by Russian airline Metrojet crashed, killing 224 people.

Islamic State (IS) jihadis have claimed responsibility for the bombing of the passenger jet.

Britons at the resort were brought home in a series of flights amid heightened security measures which ended on November 17 and since then UK airlines have not operated routes from Sharm to the UK.

more courts articles

Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman

More in this section

FILE PHOTO The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has cleared the purchase of Goodbody Stockbrokers by AIB END Goodbody Stockbrokers fined over €1.2m by Central Bank over rules breaches
Nottingham City Centre Stock Irish staff at the Body Shop wait for wages as retailer shuts stores in the Republic
Ryanair comments on Norwegian Ryanair boss O'Leary's spat with Transport Minister over Dublin Airport escalates
IE logo
Devices


UNLIMITED ACCESS TO THE IRISH EXAMINER FOR TEAMS AND ORGANISATIONS
FIND OUT MORE

The Business Hub
Newsletter

News and analysis on business, money and jobs from Munster and beyond by our expert team of business writers.

Sign up
ie logo
Puzzles Logo

Play digital puzzles like crosswords, sudoku and a variety of word games including the popular Word Wheel

Lunchtime News
Newsletter

Keep up with the stories of the day with our lunchtime news wrap.

Sign up
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited