EasyJet has extended its suspension of flights to Sharm el Sheikh until May 27, stating that it wanted to “provide some certainty for passengers” booked to fly to the Red Sea resort.
In a statement, the no-frills airline, which announced the change on Tuesday, said customers affected could either arrange a voucher for the value of the original flights or receive a full refund of the flights booked.
The UK government first suspended flights to Sharm el Sheikh on November 4, following the suspected downing of a Russian passenger plane.
TTG understands from industry sources that a government delegation set out to assess Sharm el Sheikh airport last week, although the Department for Transport said it was unable to comment on security matters.
Commenting on the latest decision by easyJet, a DfT spokesperson said the government’s suspension of flights was “constantly under review”.
“It’s a question of if and when it [Sharm el Sheikh airport] meets our standard,” she added.
She confirmed that a change to the current UK-wide suspension of flights to the resort was “not imminent”.
As of late December, both Thomson and Thomas Cook said it would not be returning to Sharm el Sheikh “up to and including March 23”, pending government advice.
British Airways has suspended flights until March 26, while Monarch has said its flights will remain suspended until at least February 14.