Russian flights to Egypt halted; British tourists struggle to get home

Luke Skywalker · Nov 6, 2015

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[h=4]Russian flights to Egypt halted; British tourists struggle to get home[/h]Egypt’s civil aviation minister said there would only be eight flights to the U.K. on Friday, instead of the 29 planned.

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An easyJet plane with about 165 British passengers on board leaves Sharm el-Sheikh in the first flight to repatriate tourists stranded in the Egyptian resort.
Video provided by AFP Newslook

Tourists line up at to check in cat the airport of Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh on Nov. 6, 2015.(Photo: Mohamed El-Shahed, AFP/Getty Images)

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — Russian President Vladimir Putin halted all Russian flights to Egypt on Friday as an*investigation continues into what caused the crash of a Russian jetliner over the weekend.
Meanwhile,*British tourists stranded at the airport in Sharm el-Sheikh, a resort town in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, were hoping to come home Friday, but many will be stuck here for at least a few more days.
Airlines from several countries*canceled flights to and from*Sharm el-Sheikh beginning Wednesday, stranding thousands of tourists, after a Russian jetliner crashed last weekend shortly after taking off from the airport, killing all 224 people on board. British and U.S. officials have said in recent days that*they believe a bomb may have brought the airliner down.
Putin on Friday reacted promptly*to a suggestion by Russian intelligence chief*Alexander Bortnikov, who said it would be “reasonable” to suspend flights. The investigation could take months, starving the resort community that is popular among Russian and British tourists.
Hossam Kamal,*Egypt’s civil aviation minister, said there would only be eight flights to the U.K. on Friday, instead of the 29 planned, the Associated Press*reported.*About 20,000 U.K. tourists are believed to be stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh.
British budget carrier easyJet had planned to operate 10 flights out the Sinai resort on Friday, but said eight of those flights were*scratched because Egypt had suspended them.*"We are continuing to work with the Egyptian authorities and the UK Government to get our customers back home as soon as possible," easyJet said in a statement. "We continue to work on a contingency plan so we can operate as soon as we receive permission to fly."
Carla Dublin, a 35-year-old mother from London whose easyJet flight was canceled, said travelers are getting no explanation for why they're stuck.
"We don't know what and why," Dublin said. "Obviously it's not security anymore because they are letting planes land."
When British Ambassador John Casson briefed journalists at the airport, Dublin interrupted to demand he offer answers to passengers as to why flights were halted.
"I've heard that five flights were organized to leave and something happened between David Cameron and the government overnight," Dublin said. "What is the answer?”
She got no reply.
By early afternoon local time, two easyJet flights*— each with about 180 passengers*— were airborne and on their way to London airports, according to the airline.
Two other carriers, Monarch and British Airways, said they still planned to operate flights back from Sinai on Friday, AP reported.
At the airport in Sharm el-Sheikh, most British travelers said they had learned about the crash only from news reports and felt they had not received much information from Egyptian authorities.*Long lines of tourists coursed through the airport Friday morning as they*waited to pass security in anticipation of the planned flights.
As part of the heightened security measures, passengers were told they would only be able to bring a small carry-on item no bigger than a laptop bag, and their luggage would be shipped at a later time.
"No food, no drink, only the essentials. I feel sorry for the ones with little ones who need nappies. You can't fit much in a laptop-sized bag," said Cherelle John-Baptise, as she waited to enter the airport in a line before security check. "It's not very convenient, but it's for security, so I can't complain."
Sarah Kemp, who was scheduled to fly back Friday*with her husband and two small children on an easyJet flight, said she didn't know how long it would take to get their luggage back.
"We don't know when —*they said seven days, but we don't know when or how," said Kemp, who had been scheduled to fly home Wednesday evening with her family.
Kemp and her family had*gone*through airport security Wednesday and taken a*bus to board their plane before they were*stopped. After waiting on the bus for 45 minutes they were told they would not fly and were taken back to a hotel where they spent two more nights.
"It's been a nightmare, I've got the baby here," she said, holding her young son.
Prime Minister David Cameron said Thursday it was "more likely than not" that the cause of the Russian plane's crash was a bomb.*President Obama reiterated that claim hours later, saying*"It's certainly possible that there was a bomb on board."
Egyptian and Russian authorities have said it is too early in the investigation to say that a bomb brought the plane down.
Jansen reported from Washington, D.C.*Contributing: William Cummings, USA TODAY
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Russian flights to Egypt halted; British tourists struggle to get home

Luke Skywalker

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