Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 24 October (HL2344), what assessment they have made of the impact specifically on the British tourism and airline industries of the ban on air flights between the UK and Sharm el Sheikh.

The Department for Transport conducts expert assessments on aviation security at overseas airports. We do not assess the impact on the tourism and airline industries of any restrictions on flights.

Following the crash of Russian Metrojet Flight 9268 in October 2015, FCO travel advice was changed to advise against all but essential travel by air between the UK and Sharm el-Sheikh. We fully recognise that Egypt is an important partner for the UK and tourism to Sharm delivers a sizeable contribution to Egypt’s economy. UK aviation security experts have worked closely with their Egyptian counterparts on the ground, sharing their expertise in establishing effective security arrangements. We continue to work in partnership in a spirit of cooperation, and are grateful for Egypt's close engagement and partnership. We look forward to achieving the return of flights once we can be assured that the necessary security environment can be sustained. We recognise that UK carriers previously found the route commercially attractive, though this does not necessarily mean that this will, at least initially, be the case once flights are able to return.