Ban lift on Sharm flights can save UK airlines: British MPs

CAIRO – 8 October 2017: The bankruptcy of Monarch Airlines gave rise to calls by a group of British parliamentarians to lift the ban on flights from the United Kingdom to Sharm El Sheikh resort in Egypt, warning that similar cases may follow.

The CEO of Monarch Andrew Swaffield told BBC that "flights were being squeezed into a smaller number of destinations and a 25 percent reduction in ticket prices on our routes created a massive economic challenge for our short-haul network."

There have been bans on flights to certain holiday destinations in Egypt, Tunisia, and Turkey due to terror attacks. Thus, Monarch had to switch to other destinations facing a fierce competition as the other airlines have been competitive with their prices, causing Monarch to significantly lower its fares.

As the Sun reported, the company earned £100 million ($130 million) less last year, although it recorded a 14 percent increase in the number of passengers. According to the Telegraph, losses in the airline’s annual sales have hit £150 million, and the company posted a pre-tax loss of £291 million in from January to October 2016.

The company’s losses came one year after the crash of a St Petersburg-bound aircraft in October 2015 in Sinai, after departing from Sharm El-Sheikh airport. Authorities in some countries, including the United Kingdom and Russia, called the crash a terrorist attack. This attack led countries to doubt Egypt’s airport security measures and ban flights to Sharm El-Sheikh.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Egypt, chaired by Jonathan Lord MP and Stephen Timms MP, called for removing the ban on UK flights into Sharm El-Sheikh airport, saying that "If we do not want to hear of further similar stories, it is vital that the flight ban be lifted as soon as possible.”

In August, the group questioned the delay in lifting the ban after the measures Egypt had taken to secure its airports. A private firm, which has been trained by British aviation experts, was hired by Egyptian authorities to run security at Sharm El-Sheikh airport.

Monarch’s flights were halted on Monday leaving thousands of stranded passengers outside the United Kingdom. Also, thousands of future bookings have been cancelled.