Sharm rescue operation drags on into next week
The repatriation of Brits in Sharm el Sheikh will continue until at least Tuesday, despite Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond saying all holidaymakers would by home by the end of this week.
Blaming tighter security and capacity restraints for the delays, Hammond claimed the repatriation was going smoothly and said the backlog should be cleared by Sunday.
But Monarch has confirmed that its last flight to the UK is currently planned for Tuesday November 17.
It is operating one flight from Sharm to Gatwick this evening and said more flights are scheduled to leave Sharm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Following the lead of Thomas Cook, who has been providing free buggies for families, Monarch said there will be care packages available for pick up and push chairs for customers travelling with babies or toddlers.
"Customers will be contacted by Monarch with revised flight arrangements," it said.
Thomson will operate five more flights from Sharm, the last two returning on Monday.
It said this will allow ‘all but a small number’ of customers to return home on the final day of their holidays.
Thomson customers in resort can contact the operator by phoning 0044 3333 365147 or texting 82345.
Thomas Cook will operate its last rescue flight from Sharm el Sheikh to the UK on Friday.
After a flight to Manchester today and one to London Gatwick tomorrow, flights will stop until at least November 25.
The operator warned that not all passengers will end up at their original departure point, but said it would be providing onward transport for those affected.
It advised any customers currently in resort who require further information on their return flight to call the resort office on 00 20 69 366 4208.
EasyJet will not operate any flights today or tomorrow, but plans to run nine flights on Saturday.
Earlier this week, the Egyptian authorities admitted UK airlines are only operating half the number of rescue flights from Sharm el Sheikh as the Russians.
The country’s ministry of tourism said UK airlines were operating 10 to 11 passenger flights a day but Russian airlines were operating 20 to 25 flights from the airport, which is at maximum capacity.
The UK’s Foreign Secretary said, as far as he was aware, Russian flights were not operating under the same strict security as the UK flights.
It is believed there are four times more Russians than Britons stranded in the Red Sea resort.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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