Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic impact on the economy of Egypt of the ban on flights between the UK and Sharm El Sheikh since the ban was imposed in 2015.

I refer my noble friend to the response given to PQ HL2384, copied below for ease of reference:

Despite Her Majesty's Government's ban on flights to Sharm El Sheikh, British tourists continue to visit Egypt. Our Travel Advice does not advise against travel to many parts of Egypt. So far this year, UK tourists have contributed US$153 million to the Egyptian economy. Britain is the number two western European country in terms of numbers of tourists in Egypt.

The Egyptian Tourism Minister stated in 2015 that flight suspensions following the Metrojet attack had resulted in direct losses estimated at US$280 million a month to the Egyptian economy. This figure included the impact of flight suspensions by a number of countries.​

We know the importance of tourism in Sharm El Sheikh and are in constant dialogue with the Egyptian Government. Our Travel Advice can have trade and political implications, but we do not let this determine the advice we give. The safety of British nationals has to be our main concern.​