50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

UK travellers face three day wait for Sharm el Sheikh departure

Download: Printable PDF Date: 11 Nov 2015 15:30 (UTC) category:
Publisher:
UK travellers face three day wait for Sharm el Sheikh departure - Airlines publisher
Tatjana Obrazcova
Country: United Kingdom Aircraft: Airplanes

The remaining British nationals in Egypt should be able to fly home by the weekend, according the latest update from Egyptian officials.

Routine flights were suspended following the crash of a Russian Metrojet flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg on October 31st.

All 224 people on board died when the aircraft came down in the Sinai desert.

Some 20,000 British nationals were thought to be in the resort at the time of the crash, with many struggling to return to the UK.

Special flights began on Friday, with UK foreign secretary Philip Hammond confirming 7,000 Britons had left by the end of Tuesday.

In a statement, Egypt’s ministry of tourism said: “We are working closely with our airport operators, airlines, holiday companies and the relevant international authorities to assist all tourists who are currently waiting to return home to the UK and Russia from Sharm el Sheikh to do so.

“We are endeavouring to process as many people as possible through the airport as safely and quickly as we can.”

The airport is operating at its maximum capacity, handling 4,300 passengers per hour divided between arrivals and departures for both domestic and international flights.

UK airlines are operating ten to 11 passenger flights per day.

“With this schedule we hope to have cleared the backlog of passengers in the next three days,” added the Egyptian ministry of tourism.

“We will continue to ensure that we are doing everything possible to assist tourists as they wait.”

Passengers are being allowed to travel with hand baggage only - their hold luggage is to be flown back separately by the government in the next week.





Recommended

British Airways unveils new Terminal 5 lounge, marking the next phase of Heathrow transformation

British Airways has unveiled the next phase of its Heathrow lounge transformation programme, marking the beginning of a significant investment aimed at modernising every lounge across the airport in t...

IADA sees strong demand and constrained inventory shaping the global preowned aircraft market

The International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA) has released its 2026-2027 Current Market Portrait & Forecast, offering an in-depth analysis of the global preowned business av...

Tecnam unveils the FAR Part 23-certified P2008JC NG in the United States, redefining efficiency in next-generation pilot training

Tecnam introduces the P2008JC NG to the United States market, bringing flight schools a certified, next-generation training aircraft designed to dramatically reduce operating costs while maximizing fl...

flyadeal arrives in Mumbai, strengthening air connectivity between India and Saudi Arabia

flyadeal, the fast-growing low-cost carrier of Saudia Group and one of the GCC's largest budget airlines, has expanded its presence in India with the launch of non-stop flights between Riyadh and...

Android Apps development in Riga, Latvia