France advises against travel to Sharm El-Sheikh, Britain begins repatriation

The British government announced yesterday that flights would be organised today to return tourists stranded in Sharm El-Sheikh, but travellers will only be allowed to carry one piece of hand luggage.

A spokeswoman for British Prime Minister David Cameron said that the government decided, after discussions with airlines, to resume flights from Sharm El-Sheikh to the UK today.

She added that the additional security measures included limiting travellers to only one item of hand luggage, while the remaining luggage will be transported separately.

Earlier yesterday, the French foreign ministry announced that it “advises against” all non-essential travel to the Sharm El-Sheikh resort in Sinai, where a Russian plane crashed last weekend.

The ministry’s statement also includes the resort of Taba in Sinai.

It said its actions were preventative measures, as the results of the investigation into the accident are still unknown.

Belgium also advised its citizens against travelling to Sharm El-Sheikh.

“We advise Belgians not to travel to Sharm El-Sheikh. We advise against it temporarily while we wait for guarantees on the security of the airport,” Foreign Minister Didier Reynders told RTBF television.