British airlines cancel Sharm el Sheikh flights

LONDON -- British low-cost airline carrier EasyJet on Tuesday announced it would cancel all fights to and from Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt until Jan 6, 2016.

"We are sorry for the inconvenience this will obviously cause," said EasyJet, but said the situation was beyond the company's control and passenger safety was its priority.

The decision was linked to the Russia-bound Airbus which exploded over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula shortly after taking off from Sharm el Sheikh on Oct 31, leaving 224 people aboard dead. The tragedy is believed to have been an act of terror by the Islamic State (IS).

EasyJet told customers who would be affected by the decision that they could fly to another destination within the EasyJet network, receive a full refund, or arrange a flight voucher that could be used for future flights.

Thomson Airways also confirmed that outbound fights from Britain to Sharm el Sheikh would be canceled until Dec 9.

Another British airline, Monarch, announced last week that flights from Britain to Sharm El Sheikh and flights up to and including Dec 19 have been canceled.

Meanwhile, British Airways has canceled all fights to Sharm el Sheikh until Dec 17.