UK halts Egypt flights amid bomb talk

British prime minister David Cameron has said it is “more likely than not” that a Russian airliner was downed by a bomb as he defended moves to halt flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh.

Cameron said he had “every sympathy” with Cairo’s anger over the impact on its tourist industry, but that the move was “about putting the safety of British people first”.

He said he would speak with Russian president Vladimir Putin about the latest developments.

“The decisions that I am taking are about putting the safety of British people first,” Cameron said. “That is why we have suspended flights to Sharm el-Sheikh and that is why it is going to take some time before we can fly people out.

“What we need to put in place is more security at that airport so it is safe to fly people home.”

The dramatic decision to suspend air links has been angrily denounced by Egypt’s foreign minister as a “premature and unwarranted’’ step that would smash its tourist industry.

This is what was said during the Egyptian president and Cameron's joint press conference https://t.co/6Gej1UPyP2 pic.twitter.com/5hyjz1I7vu

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) November 5, 2015

However, Cameron said his government had no choice but to act after intelligence suggested the Metrojet flight that crashed in the Sinai desert on Saturday may well have been brought down by a bomb.

Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility, although there is no confirmation of their involvement.

Emergency screening was being put in place at the Red Sea holiday resort’s airport to allow thousands of British tourists to be flown home, after an inspection by UK experts identified serious security flaws.

Egyptian president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi defended security at the airport, insisting it had previously been given the all-clear by the UK.

Asked if he was unhappy by the decision to halt flights he told reporters: “Ten months ago we were asked by our British friends to send a team to Sharm el-Sheikh airport to make sure all the security procedures are enough and provide the adequate safety and security for passengers.

“We understood their concern because they are really interested in the safety and security of their nationals.

“We received the teams, we cooperated with them and they checked the security operations, they were happy with that.

“And we are still ready to co-operate in this particular regard, not necessarily on one airport but on all airports.”

A spokesman for Putin insisted aviation investigators were working on all possible theories as to why the Airbus A320-200 carrying 224 people crashed on Saturday, killing everyone on board. He said naming just one possibility was mere speculation.

“One cannot rule out a single theory, but at this point there are no reasons to voice just one theory as reliable, only investigators can do that,” he said.