RUSSIA: Air Links To Egypt To Remain Cut For Months

'The lights will not be going out in Sharm el-Sheikh or Hurghada while we are here, ' Sisi said. Sharm al-Sheikh accounts for about 70 per cent of visits by Britons, a major tourism market for Egypt.

Tens of thousands of Russian tourists were still awaiting more flights Tuesday.

In comments that may further anger Egyptian officials, Hammond suggested a few countries have a problem with training and motivation of security staff.

The Metrojet Airbus A321 crashed 23 minutes after taking off from the Sharm al-Sheikh tourist resort killing all 224 people on board, The plane was to arrive in St. Petersburg with mostly Russian passengers.

"We had obviously booked our time off work, packed all our cases, booked the vehicle into the airport auto park and made all the arrangements and it was not until Friday that it said on the website that we would not be flying out", she said.

BRITISH aviation experts analysed security at Sharm el-Sheikh just weeks before the alleged bombing of a Russian airliner but did not raise concerns about safety, a senior Egyptian official has said.

Kremlin's Ivanov added that it would be an impossible task for Egyptian authorities to revamp security within a month, stressing that efforts needed to be taken to bring standards up to a sufficient level.

Last Wednesday, Britain banned all flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh airport, a move followed by Russian Federation over the weekend, over intelligence reports a branch of Isis in the Sinai planted a bomb on the Metrojet plane.

Others said security at the airport had been ramped up significantly, with armed guards on checkpoints outside the main terminal building and three further security checks inside.

More than 25,000 Russian tourists - stranded in the country when Russia suspended flights to Egypt - have left the country with carry-on luggage.

United Kingdom airlines are operating 10-11 passenger flights per day and Russian airlines are operating 20-25 passenger flights per day, the Ministry said.

Derek Moore, chairman of Britain's Association of Independent Tour Operators, said that following the crash "the key to air travel... will be the reputation of particular airports".

The deputy head of Russia's Union of the Tourism Industry, Yuri Barzykin, told Tass on Wednesday that Russian holidaymakers "should not dismiss the idea to relax at home" and should opt to holiday in Russia if they are finding alternatives to Egypt overseas too expensive.