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| Sharm el-Sheikh: UK tourists voice anger over missile near miss – live updates | Sharm el-Sheikh: UK tourists voice anger over missile near miss – live updates |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 1.11pm GMT13:11 | |
| Egyptian airport and security officials say an investigation has been launched into any local staff and ground crew in Sharm el-Sheikh that came into contact with the Russian plane before it crashed a week ago in the Sinai desert 23 minutes after taking off. | |
| In what perhaps represents the first admission from Egypt that a bomb was responsible for the crash, officials told the Associated Press on Saturday that authorities are questioning airport staff and have begun surveillance on those who worked on the downed Russian Metrojet flight. | |
| They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief reporters. | |
| The British government and US officials have said intelligence suggests the plane was downed by a bomb. The crash, which killed all 224 people onboard, dealt another huge blow to Egypt’s battered tourism sector, which is yet to fully recover from years of political turmoil. | |
| Updated at 1.16pm GMT | |
| 1.08pm GMT13:08 | |
| 1.01pm GMT13:01 | |
| The operation to repatriate British tourists stuck in the resort descended into chaos yesterday when Egypt cut the number of flights it would allow to fly them out. | |
| Eight commercial aircraft from Luton, Gatwick and Stansted in London stayed overnight in Larnaca, Cyprus while three from Manchester and Birmingham landed empty at the western Paphos airport after being diverted from Sharm el-Sheikh, Aspris said. | |
| Only eight of the 29 flights scheduled to fly Britons home left the resort on Friday because Egypt said Britain’s insistence that passengers returned with only hand luggage meant the airport was unable to cope. | |
| 12.54pm GMT12:54 | |
| Thousands of UK tourists still stuck in Sharm el-Sheikh | |
| Meanwhile, 2,600 British tourists are still stranded in the Sharm el-Sheikh airport. | |
| 11 empty British planes are on standby in Cyprus and potentially will be used to fly them home, airport authorities in the Mediterranean island told Reuters on Saturday. | |
| Britain halted flights to and from the Red Sea resort after a Russian plane crashed over the Sinai Peninsula on 31 October with 224 lives lost. French investigators believe a bomb likely brought the airliner down with an explosion heard on black box data. | |
| An airport official in Cyprus said it was not yet clear what role Cypriot airports might play in efforts to fetch the stranded holidaymakers, but added that almost a dozen British commercial aircraft were at the island’s two airports. | |
| “It’s possible that they’ll be used for this purpose,” said Adamos Aspris, a spokesman for airports operator Hermes Airports. “They might be used if circumstances allow it.” | |
| A Cypriot foreign ministry official said there had been no request for Cyprus to assist in efforts to fetch the tourists. | |
| Updated at 1.06pm GMT | |
| 12.46pm GMT12:46 | |
| Holidaymakers react to missile dodge | |
| Nicola Slawson | |
| UK tourists have reacted angrily to the news. | |
| You are kidding me? Missile shot at UK flight and we carried on flying to Sharm? DfT felt it was all ok? Wtf?? https://t.co/u0Vg8KSaHx | |
| Apparently on 23 August a Thomson jet had a near miss with a missile within a 1,000 feet of it near Sharm el Sheik. Today we know about it! | |
| Flights should have been banned then, or a least the security beefed up after missile near miss! https://t.co/vWq7Je5h6b | |
| Now we discover that a missile came close to a plane landing in Sharm on 23 August. Why governments HIDE information all the time? | |
| Updated at 1.00pm GMT | |
| 12.43pm GMT12:43 | 12.43pm GMT12:43 |
| Government deemed airspace safe after missile near miss | |
| Nicola Slawson | Nicola Slawson |
| Regarding the incident, a spokesperson for Thomson said: “Upon landing into Sharm el-Sheikh, an initial assessment was conducted and the event was immediately reported to the Department for Transport (Dft) in line with established protocol.” | Regarding the incident, a spokesperson for Thomson said: “Upon landing into Sharm el-Sheikh, an initial assessment was conducted and the event was immediately reported to the Department for Transport (Dft) in line with established protocol.” |
| A full investigation into the incident was then carried out by department in conjunction with other government experts. | A full investigation into the incident was then carried out by department in conjunction with other government experts. |
| “After reviewing the details of the case,” the statement from Thomson said, “the investigation concluded that there was no cause for concern and it was safe to continue our flying programme to Sharm el Sheikh.” | “After reviewing the details of the case,” the statement from Thomson said, “the investigation concluded that there was no cause for concern and it was safe to continue our flying programme to Sharm el Sheikh.” |
| The Dft have confirmed that the incident took place. Their investigators concluded that it was likely to be connected to routine exercises being conducted by Egyptian military at the time and was not a targeted attack. | The Dft have confirmed that the incident took place. Their investigators concluded that it was likely to be connected to routine exercises being conducted by Egyptian military at the time and was not a targeted attack. |
| Updated at 1.00pm GMT | |
| 12.37pm GMT12:37 | 12.37pm GMT12:37 |
| Nicola Slawson | Nicola Slawson |
| Another tourist, Rob was holidaying in Egypt with a friend at the time of the incident, having flown out of Luton on 20 August. He remembers an increase in security on his return flight on 2 September but was not informed of why this was. | Another tourist, Rob was holidaying in Egypt with a friend at the time of the incident, having flown out of Luton on 20 August. He remembers an increase in security on his return flight on 2 September but was not informed of why this was. |
| He said: “I’m shocked but I actually had noticed an upturn in security checks on our return flight, though still somewhat relaxed. | He said: “I’m shocked but I actually had noticed an upturn in security checks on our return flight, though still somewhat relaxed. |
| “I do think that perhaps the government should have taken action at that point. Perhaps they were on their summer holidays?” | “I do think that perhaps the government should have taken action at that point. Perhaps they were on their summer holidays?” |
| 12.32pm GMT12:32 | 12.32pm GMT12:32 |
| Nicola Slawson | Nicola Slawson |
| British tourist Rosie Maria Kennedy flew to Sharm el Sheikh airport from Gatwick with her boyfriend just a day after the near-miss. She said: “It shocks me to the core that mine and my boyfriend’s lives were put at risk by a complete lack of response to this real danger to life.” | British tourist Rosie Maria Kennedy flew to Sharm el Sheikh airport from Gatwick with her boyfriend just a day after the near-miss. She said: “It shocks me to the core that mine and my boyfriend’s lives were put at risk by a complete lack of response to this real danger to life.” |
| She also expressed anger at the pilot for not going public about the incident. She said: “I would also challenge the integrity of the pilot. By not whistleblowing the incident, he did not do what he morally should have done by helping in covering it up. | She also expressed anger at the pilot for not going public about the incident. She said: “I would also challenge the integrity of the pilot. By not whistleblowing the incident, he did not do what he morally should have done by helping in covering it up. |
| Had she known about what happened the day before, she would have been happy losing out on her holiday, she says. “They should have stopped all flights to Sharm El Sheikh after that incident. You essentially put your life in the hands of the government and holiday companies, trusting they have your best interests at heart, but they clearly do not.” | Had she known about what happened the day before, she would have been happy losing out on her holiday, she says. “They should have stopped all flights to Sharm El Sheikh after that incident. You essentially put your life in the hands of the government and holiday companies, trusting they have your best interests at heart, but they clearly do not.” |
| Updated at 12.33pm GMT | Updated at 12.33pm GMT |
| 12.26pm GMT12:26 | 12.26pm GMT12:26 |
| Nicola Slawson | Nicola Slawson |
| Welcome to the Guardian’s liveblog, which will chart the news coming out of Sharm el Sheikh today as they happen. | Welcome to the Guardian’s liveblog, which will chart the news coming out of Sharm el Sheikh today as they happen. |
| 12.26pm GMT12:26 | 12.26pm GMT12:26 |
| UK plane narrowly avoided missile in August | |
| Nicola Slawson | Nicola Slawson |
| British holidaymakers who flew to Sharm el Sheikh in August when a UK plane narrowly avoided a missile while arriving at the beleagured resort have voiced anger over not being told about the incident. | British holidaymakers who flew to Sharm el Sheikh in August when a UK plane narrowly avoided a missile while arriving at the beleagured resort have voiced anger over not being told about the incident. |
| One tourist vowed never to go to the resort again after learning that the incident happened on the same day she flew into the airport on 23 August. She said: “I am never going to Sharm el Sheikh again, just seen a rocket missile was fired at a UK aircraft on the day we flew to Sharm in August”. | One tourist vowed never to go to the resort again after learning that the incident happened on the same day she flew into the airport on 23 August. She said: “I am never going to Sharm el Sheikh again, just seen a rocket missile was fired at a UK aircraft on the day we flew to Sharm in August”. |
| I am never going to Sharm el Sheikh again, just seen a rocket missile was fired at a UK aircraft on the day we flew to Sharm in August ?!?! | I am never going to Sharm el Sheikh again, just seen a rocket missile was fired at a UK aircraft on the day we flew to Sharm in August ?!?! |
| The incident on 23 August was dismissed at the time by the British government and has not been linked to the Russian plane crash - now thought to have been caused by a bomb on board. However, questions are now being asked about the safety of flying into the region and whether the Department for Transport (Dft) made the right call in August. | The incident on 23 August was dismissed at the time by the British government and has not been linked to the Russian plane crash - now thought to have been caused by a bomb on board. However, questions are now being asked about the safety of flying into the region and whether the Department for Transport (Dft) made the right call in August. |
| The pilot for the Thomson flight, which was carrying 189 passengers, spotted the missile from the cockpit and was forced to take evasive action. The plane landed safely although it has been reported that the pilots and crew were deeply shaken by the event. The holidaymakers on board, however, were not informed of the near-miss. | The pilot for the Thomson flight, which was carrying 189 passengers, spotted the missile from the cockpit and was forced to take evasive action. The plane landed safely although it has been reported that the pilots and crew were deeply shaken by the event. The holidaymakers on board, however, were not informed of the near-miss. |
| No statement has been made regarding the decision not to inform passengers when the plane landed in the Red Sea resort, despite increasing outrage that the details of the incident are only becoming public now, over two months later. | No statement has been made regarding the decision not to inform passengers when the plane landed in the Red Sea resort, despite increasing outrage that the details of the incident are only becoming public now, over two months later. |
| Updated at 12.59pm GMT |