Travel question of the day: Simon Calder on flights to Sharm el Sheikh
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Your support makes all the difference.Q With Germany lifting the ban on flights to Sharm el Sheikh, will the UK do the same - and how long will it take for things to get back to normal?
Name withheld
A On 31 October, Russian aircraft flying from Egypt’s main resort to St Petersburg crashed in the Sinai Desert. It is believed that a bomb was placed aboard the plane while it was on the ground at Sharm el Sheikh airport. Shortly afterwards, a number of countries - including Britain - banned flights by UK airlines to and from the airport, until security measures improve.
The Egyptian government, faced with a the loss of one of the country’s main sources of earnings, has poured millions of pounds into enhanced security. Privately a number of aviation security figures have said that standards at Egypt’s airports are now much higher than at many locations in the developing world. The Egyptian authorities say that Germany has now lifted its ban on flights to Sharm el Sheikh, and that the UN World Tourism Organization is calling for the lifting of any unnecessary flight bans on travel for tourists.
British officials from the Foreign Office and the Department for Transport have been in Egypt to assess changes, but despite rumours of an imminent lifting of the ban, nothing has so far happened.
The Foreign Office says: We will continue working with the Egyptian authorities to enable regular flights between the UK and Sharm el Sheikh to resume. We are also liaising with travel companies so that they are able to resume flights and holidays in Sharm el Sheikh as soon as appropriate security arrangements are in place.”
Even if the ban is lifted tomorrow, it is unlikely to have an immediate, dramatic effect. Airlines have redeployed their planes and crews ahead of the busy summer season. While some flights are likely to be scheduled, the numbers will be far lower than last summer.
Egypt’s main tourist season is winter. Holiday companies, airlines and the many Egyptians who depend on tourism for their livelihoods will be hoping for a reversal of the no-fly rule in time for plans to be made from October onwards.
Every day, our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder
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