The Egyptian minister for tourism expects that improvement to airport security will mean the flight ban to Sharm el Sheikh will soon be lifted.
Egypt has introduced extra CCTV cameras and sniffer dogs in a bid to assuage concerns over terrorism in the wake of the suspected bombing of a Russian charter airline last year.
However, UK airlines are still reluctant to resume the route. EasyJet has now extended its cancellation period until May 27. Thomas Cook and Thomson will not return until at least March 24, TTG Media reported.
In the aftermath of the bombing, Russia imposed a flight ban on Egypt that will reportedly last “several months.”
“Egyptian authorities are working constantly with international security delegations, and we have also appointed our own independent security advisors, Control Risks, to ensure Egypt has a world-class gold standard in airport security,” said Egyptian Tourism Minister Hisham Zazou.
“By taking these proactive actions we remain confident that flight bans will be lifted in the near future which will allow tourists to enjoy Sharm el Sheikh as they did before.”
The security measures were announced last week, following two attacks this month targeting hotels frequented by foreign tourists in Cairo and Hurghada. No one was hurt in the Cairo attack, but three tourists — two Austrians and a Swede — were injured in Hurghada.
Egypt’s tourism industry was further shattered by the suspected terror bombing that brought down the Russian airliner over Sinai last October, killing all 224 people on board. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for that attack.
Following the bombing of the plane, Egypt opened three tombs in the ancient city of Luxor to the public for the first time, hoping to spur interest in tourism despite the shadow of airline crash in the Sinai Peninsula.
