4 years after IS plane bombing, UK lifts ban on flights to Sharm el-Sheikh

LONDON — The British government says UK airlines can resume flights to the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, suspended after an Islamic State bombing that brought down a Russian passenger plane four years ago.

The Department for Transport says today that “improvements in security procedures at the airport, and close co-operation between the UK and Egypt on aviation security, mean commercial airlines can now be allowed to operate routes to and from the airport.”

The Sinai Peninsula resort had been a major package-holiday destination for British tourists before the November 2015 attack, which killed all 224 people on board and was claimed by the Islamic State extremist group.

Travel company Tui welcomes the decision and says it plans to re-introduce trips to Sharm el-Sheikh “taking into account customer demand.”

— AP