EasyJet cancel all flights to Sharm el-Sheikh until 2016

THOUSANDS of holidaymakers face disruption to their Christmas breaks after easyJet confirmed flights to Sharm el-Sheikh will remain suspended until at least January 6.

Around 5,000 passengers were booked on easyJet flights to the Red Sea resort which have been cancelled due to ongoing security concerns following the terrorist bombing of a Russian airliner.

Flights between the UK and the Egyptian resort were suspended earlier this month and the Foreign Office has warned against all but essential travel to the airport.

EasyJet’s decision to announce the extended cancellation was taken following talks with the Department for Transport (DfT).

The airline said it is “sorry for the inconvenience this will obviously cause” but “the situation is beyond our control and passenger safety will always be our number one priority”.

A spokeswoman said: “Following discussions with the DfT, easyJet took the decision to suspend all flying between the UK and Sharm el-Sheikh after Wednesday November 4 and won’t resume flights to Sharm until the Government’s advice changes.

“To help provide some certainty for passengers over the Christmas period, easyJet will be cancelling all flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh until January 6, 2016 and offering our passengers the choice of a full refund, a flight voucher or a flight to another destination within the easyJet network such as the Canary Islands.”

The Government suspended flights to Sharm on November 4 after an Airbus 321 operated by Russian airline Metrojet crashed, killing 224 people.

Islamic State (IS) jihadis have claimed responsibility for the bombing of the passenger jet.

Britons at the resort were brought home in a series of flights amid heightened security measures which ended on November 17 and since then UK airlines have not operated routes from Sharm to the UK.