Following a recent trip to Sharm el-Sheikh, the chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Egypt has urged the British government to take a swift decision on lifting the ban on flights to Sharm el-Sheikh.

Gerald Howarth also said, in a recent TV interview, that a representative of the department for transport “felt that the conditions had been met to enable flights to resume”.

During the week-long visit, the four members of the group were given a briefing on the security procedures that have been introduced in the airport and across the resort areas.

They were taken “air-side” for an inspection of the handling of baggage at Sharm airport.

Howarth said: “We thought that they’d put in some pretty sophisticated checks there and we think a lot has been done.

“But, most importantly, we talked to a representative from the United Kingdom’s department for transport who also felt that conditions had been met to enable flights to resume.”

He continued: “I have already been in touch with the prime minister’s office and on behalf of my group, I have written a letter urging her to make a swift decision on this.”

The purpose of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Egypt is to strengthen relations between British and Egyptian parliamentarians and promote British-Egyptian relations amongst both chambers of the UK parliament.