British Airways has cancelled all flights to Egyptian capital Cairo for a week.

The flag-carrier said the move was a “precaution,” on security grounds.

Passengers were forced informed over the weekend as they waited to board flights.

After being denied boarding, they were told there would be no alternative flights for a week.

The airline did not specify what the security issue was.

A British Airways spokesman said: “We constantly review our security arrangements at all our airports around the world, and have suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment.

“The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority, and we would never operate an aircraft unless it was safe to do so.”

German airline Lufthansa also cancelled flights to Cairo on Saturday.

However, flights to the city would resume on Sunday, a spokesman said.