Russian plane crash: Stranded Britons gather at Sharm el-Sheikh airport as cancelled flights cause chaos

By 11am in the departure lounge of Sharm el-Sheikh airport, British tourists were clustered around orange-shirted representatives from easyJet, demanding to know when they would be able to fly home.

“We tried to fly out yesterday, but got told all the flights were cancelled. Today we’re meant to be flying at 12.55, but we don’t know if the Egyptians are allowing the plane to leave,” said Danielle Spears. “The problem is, they wait until you get to the airport to tell you whether or not you can fly. We’ve got children with us and a baby at home. There is no information.”

Shouts of “when are we going home?” could be heard as British ambassador John Casson tried to speak to the press inside the departure lounge. As Mr Casson tried to soothe the situation saying, “it will take a little bit of time, and I know how frustrating it is”, angry cries of “how much time?” drowned him out.

Mr Casson spoke glowingly of the Egyptian efforts to co-operate with increased British demands for security, including the requirement that passengers carry only hand luggage on to the flight. He also denied reports that the Egyptians were blocking emergency flights due to bring some of the 20,000 stranded British tourists home, saying that out of the 29 flights schedule to leave on Friday, “our aim is 20 or even more” that would depart.

Egypt’s minister of civil aviation, Hossam Kamal, later said the airport would operate just eight flights to the UK.

But as angry Britons filled the departure lounge, internal flights in Egypt were running smoothly, unencumbered by extra security measures.

Panicked British tourists came and went from the Egyptair office next to the growing line of stressed-out travellers inquiring whether it might be quicker to get a flight to Cairo and then a second back to London to avoid the chaos in Sharm el-Sheikh.

Reda Moustafa, an agent in the Egyptair office, was sceptical that much had changed in terms of security measures. “I think all this is politics,” he said. “But maybe there’s more security now.”

Three masked Egyptian special forces officers kept a careful eye on the five police officers in bulletproof vests who casually checked cars at the airport car park. Guards at the entrance told The Independent that this was a “normal” level of security personnel, but that they were providing extra checks.

Inside the lobby of the Luna Sharm hotel in Sharm el-Sheikh, Amanda Toomer and her daughter Kelly were waiting anxiously for a representative from their travel agency hoping for news of their flight home.

The Toomers flew into Sharm el-Sheikh on 3 November, three days after the plane crash, thinking that as their tour operator and airline had permitted them to fly out, they could go ahead with their break in the sun as planned. Now they worry they may be stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh for days, unsure of where they will stay while their tour operator and easyJet try to get them home. “The worst part is the flight home,” said Ms Toomer. “This whole thing puts you on edge.”

The Toomers said that the only update they had received from easyJet was an email instructing them to go to the airport as planned on Saturday morning. “We’ve been reading things on the news, but there’s no information coming to us,” said Kelly Toomer. “We’re getting updates via our family at home, because everyone in the UK knows more than we do.”

Asked whether British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond’s promise to bring all British tourists home had reassured them, the Toomers were dismissive. “They say this, but we don’t know what they’re actually doing,” said Ms Toomer.