Britain’s public airing of its concerns about a bomb being responsible for the Russian air crash angered Egypt, which depends on tourism revenue, and drew criticism from the Kremlin, which said it had not been given details of the intelligence behind Britain’s move.
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British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond told Sky television on Thursday there was “a significant possibility” that the militant organization known as “Islamic State” (IS) caused the crash. As a precaution, Russian President Vladimir Putin is halting all flights to Egypt. A timeframe for the aircrafts’ grounding was not discussed.
All flights to and from the resort were stopped on Wednesday because the British government wanted to make sure the airport was as safe as possible.
Planned rescue flights bringing stranded holidaymakers back to Manchester from Sharm El-Sheikh are still on – for now. “We are doing all we can to speed up their return and communicate developments clearly as they happen”, a statement from Downing Street read.
Britain earlier this week banned all non-essential flights to Sharm el-Sheikh, saying the crash had likely been caused by an explosive device on board the aircraft.
Journalists on social media report that British tourists were increasingly frustrated by authorities, and even after the British ambassador to Egypt, John Casson, traveled to Sharm el-Sheikh to try to assure his fellow nationals, reports indicate many British tourists at the airport expressed anger. And although it hasn’t been confirmed officially, the TSA plans to do whatever it can to ramp up security measures at airports both overseas and at home.
Monarch announced that only two of five flights it meant to put on from Sharm el-Sheikh to the United Kingdom today will be permitted by the Egyptian authorities. Those flights are headed for London’s Luton and Gatwick airports, with a total of 339 passengers.
IS Egypt had claimed responsibility for the attack in response to Russia’s support for the Syrian regime, but the claims had until now been dismissed.
Ireland and Belgium have also advised their citizens to avoid travelling to the Egyptian resort by air, while carriers, including Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa have suspended their flights.
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At an emergency meeting in Moscow, the head of Russia’s FSB security service, Mr Alexander Bortnikov, said it would be prudent to halt flights for now.
