Russian plane crash: Some Britons face '10-day wait' in Egypt - BBC News

• published: 08 Nov 2015
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Britons still stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh have been told they may have to extend their stays by several days. The government said only a limited number of flights were able to leave the Red Sea resort each day. The costs of extending holidays are expected to be covered by tour operators and airlines, it added. All UK-bound flights from Sharm el-Sheikh were halted on Wednesday amid fears that last Saturday's plane crash in Egypt was caused by a bomb. '10-day wait' An Airbus A321, operated by Russian airline Metrojet, was flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg when it came down in Sinai, killing all 224 people on board. Most of the victims were Russian. About 3,300 tourists have returned so far to the UK, but thousands of people remain stranded in the Egyptian resort. Easyjet said it could take between three and four days to get all its customers back to the UK, while one British official quoted by Reuters news agency said it could take up to 10 days to get all Britons out. Five airlines - Monarch, Thomas Cook, Thomson, Easyjet and British Airways - flew 1,945 Britons back to the UK on nine flights on Saturday. "We are working closely with the Egyptian authorities, UK airlines and tour operators to have passengers on flights and returned to the UK as soon as possible," a government spokesman said in a statement. They did a semi-pat down inside and we took our shoes off. I don't think it was very thorough Marc Standen, Tourist returning from Egypt "It is likely that tour operators or airlines will advise some people to extend their stay at their resort. "It is important that people stay at their resort until they have confirmation from their airline or tour operator that they are on a flight back to the UK and that they follow their airline's advice on the appropriate arrival time at the airport." People arriving back in the UK have continued to tell of ongoing chaos in Egypt. 'Overwhelmed' Marc Standen, from Westgate, Kent, and his partner Emily Alfeo had been due to fly home on Thursday after a week in Sharm el-Sheikh but arrived back late on Saturday. He said: "It was madness. They did a semi-pat down inside and we took our shoes off. I don't think it was very thorough. "Their security is terrible and they are completely overwhelmed." Only eight of 29 scheduled flights were able to depart on Friday, carrying just over 1,400 passengers. Gaining altitude The remaining 21 flights were cancelled by the Egyptian authorities because of the build up of passengers and luggage. Britons are being allowed to travel home with hand baggage only; hold luggage is to be flown back separately in the next week. Crash investigators have revealed an unidentified noise was picked up by the aircraft's on-board recorders in the final seconds before it broke up suddenly in mid-flight over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. Lead investigator Ayman el-Muqadem said they were looking at "all possible scenarios" as to the cause but confirmed the plane had been still gaining altitude as it disintegrated 23 minutes after take-off.