The collapse of Adria Airways has cost Slovenia connections to dozens of international markets, a study has revealed.

The national airline filed for bankruptcy and cancelled all flights on Monday.

Adria had previously withdrawn virtually all its flights last week.

Bankruptcy proceedings were initiated by the management of the company because of the company’s insolvency, the carrier said in a statement.

A study by ForwardKeys, the travel analytics firm, revealed that the bankruptcy resulted in the loss of direct flight connections with two dozen countries, including Czech Republic, Spain and Switzerland, all important origin markets for the country.

Adria has accounted for 60 per cent of all international seat capacity to Slovenia.

Other key source markets such as Austria, Germany and France will also be impacted, as Adria Airways accounted for 99 per cent, 87 per cent and 51 per cent of seat capacity on flights from these countries.

The full list of countries, which had direct connections to Slovenia in the past 12 months and have now lost them, comprises: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Macedonia, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.

However, the impact is less dramatic than the list suggests, because some of the routes, such as those from Estonia, Georgia and Greece are seasonal, and others, from Cyprus, Hungary, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Romania and Ukraine are irregular.

Olivier Ponti, vice president, insights, ForwardKeys, said: Given the attractiveness of Slovenia as a destination, I expect other airlines to fill the gaps left by Adria Airways but how long it will take to get back to the previous level is anyone´s guess.

Slovenia, and its vibrant capital Ljubljana, remain accessible and well worth a visit; however, if you were counting on Adria Airways to get you there quickly, you must now allow more time.

So following the collapse of Adria Airways this week, Slovenia’s only airport in Ljubljana has lost almost half of all its air traffic.

Most flights by Adria Airways were feeder flights to Star Alliance hubs, so it is no great surprise that Lufthansa Group announced today it will launch an entire network out of Ljubljana Joze Pucnik Airport within a month.

Simple Flying first reported in June that an Adria Airways bankruptcy was increasingly likely. Adverse circumstances surrounding the Slovenian flag carrier kept growing over the summer and operations officially ceased in full earlier this week.

For years, Adria has been positioned as a feeder to Lufthansa Group hubs, serving Brussels, Frankfurt, Zurich, Vienna and Munich several times daily.

Adria Airways had such a strong relationship with Lufthansa Group that it also had feeder flights to Frankfurt and Munich from the capitals of Albania and Kosovo.

Thus, with the collapse of Adria, Lufthansa Group has been left with a loss of 216 weekly outbound and inbound flights to channel its connecting passengers.

These include 64 weekly flights to Frankfurt, which even for a giant like Lufthansa is not insignificant. 42 of these flights were from Ljubljana, 6 from Tirana and 16 from Pristina.

To fill the acute gap left by Adria in Ljubljana, several Lufthansa Group airlines are stepping in. An entire network is being formed in Ljubljana by Lufthansa’s airlines, despite the Group not having a single route to Slovenia at all at the moment.

Brussels Airlines is launching a six-times-a-week service in November. This will coincide with Wizz Air pulling out of Slovenia and no longer flying the Ljubljana to Brussels route after seven years.

Today, an announcement followed from Lufthansa Group too, that Lufthansa and Swiss will launch their own services.

Lufthansa CityLine will be flying double daily between Frankfurt and Ljubljana with its CRJ900 aircraft. Flights will depart Frankfurt every day at 09.15 am and 4.40 pm, arriving in Ljubljana at 10.30 am and 5.55 pm.

They will then depart Ljubljana at 11.05 am and 6.30 pm, returning to Frankfurt at 12.25 pm and 7.50 pm. Flights are already bookable, from Sunday 27 October, the first day of the winter schedule.

These are clearly timed to coincide with Lufthansa’s morning arrival wave into Frankfurt and evening departure wave out of it. The route is very clearly intended to be a feeder.

From Munich, the German airline will be flying daily starting Friday 1 November. Flights will depart Munich at 10.45 am to arrive at Ljubljana at 11.45 am. They will then depart Ljubljana again at 1.10 pm to return to Munich at 2.10 pm.

Swiss itself will be the first to begin flying, launching five weekly flights in just two weeks’ time. At the start of the winter schedule, on 27 October, the frequency will increase to daily.

Once the frequency increases to daily, the flights will be operated by Swiss’s A220 aircraft. Until then, presumably, because no spare aircraft are available, flights will run as five weekly with a Helvetic Airways E190.

What will be interesting to see is whether Lufthansa Group airlines expand their schedule to Ljubljana to match the capacity that Adria had on these routes.

Adria had three daily flights to Zurich all summer long, while Swiss has only scheduled a single daily rotation.

Austrian Airlines has been absent from this announcement. Adria’s two daily flights to Vienna remain nonexistent and all the feeder traffic to Austrian and Eurowings left unserved.

With Slovenia’s only airport now fully dominated by Lufthansa Group airlines, it will be interesting to see how they adapt their network over time.

It will also be interesting to see which competitors to Lufthansa Group step in to take some of the market share left vacant by Adria.

Meanwhile, bankruptcy proceedings have officially been initiated against Slovenia's Adria Airways following its cessation of operations.

Documentation issued by the district court in the city of Kranj gives creditors three months, until 3 January 2020, to declare claims against the operator.

It names Janez Pustaticnik as the manager.

Adria's latest operating licence, issued in 2011, has been revoked by the Slovenian civil aviation agency and the carrier banned from operating commercial air transport.

Star Alliance has also confirmed, as a matter of formality, that Adria Airways has left the airline group as a result of the bankruptcy.

Adria ceased to be a member of Star on 2 October, the alliance says. It says the situation is a regrettable development, given that Adria has been a member for 15 years.

But Star points out that its links with Slovenia are being maintained by new services from Lufthansa, Swiss and Brussels Airlines

Tourism Observer

Romania was among the least popular tourist destinations for foreign tourists in the EU, in 2015, along with much smaller countries such as Slovakia, Latvia, and Luxembourg, according to data from EU’s statistical office Eurostat.

The statistics take into consideration the number of nights spent by foreign tourists in local hotels and guest houses.

The four most popular EU destinations for non-residents were Spain (270 million nights), Italy (193 million nights), France (130 million nights), and the United Kingdom (118 million nights), which together accounted for more than half of total nights spent by non-residents in the EU.

Meanwhile, less than 5 million nights were registered in Romanian accommodation units in 2015, the number being over two times lower than the one registered in neighboring Bulgaria (more than 13 million nights), and Hungary (almost 13 million nights).

The only EU Member Countries doing worse than Romania, based on number of nights spent by non-residents, were Slovakia – around 4.38 million nights, Estonia – 3.77 million, Lithuania – 3 million, Latvia – 2.87 million, and Luxembourg – 2.65 million, all being much smaller countries than Romania.

Romania is also last in the EU on tourism intensity, which results from dividing the number of nights spent by both foreign and local tourists in local hotels by the number of inhabitants.

Malta, Croatia, Cyprus, Austria, and Spain are the most tourism intensive countries in the EU.

Moreover, foreign tourists continue to spend less in Romania than Romanian tourists spend abroad, Eurostat statistics show.

In 2015, Romanian tourists spent some EUR 1.85 billion abroad while foreign tourists spent EUR 1.54 billion in Romania.

Spain has the highest positive balance from international tourism, with net receipts of over EUR 35 billion, followed by Italy – EUR 13.5 billion, and Greece – EUR 12 billion.

Meanwhile, Germany is the biggest spender, with net expenditure of EUR 36.6 billion, followed by UK – EUR 16 billion, and Belgium – EUR 6.2 billion.

The Romanian Ministry of Tourism announced last week that the country’s tourism promotion offices abroad, which are the institutions that promote the Romanian tourism abroad and attract foreign tourists to Romania, will shut down and their employees will return to the country.

Foreign tourists spend on average EUR 525 per person in Romania

Tourism minister: Nobody knows for sure how many foreign tourists come to Romania

Number of incoming foreign tourists to Romania up to 2.47 million in 2016

European Parliament has voted to end visa-free travel for Americans within the EU.

It comes after the US failed to agree visa-free travel for citizens of five EU countries – Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania – as part of a reciprocity agreement. US citizens can normally travel to all countries in the bloc without a visa.

The vote urges the revocation of the scheme within two months, meaning Americans will have to apply for extra documents for 12 months after the European Commission implements a “delegated act” to bring the change into effect.

The Commission discovered three years ago that the US was not meeting its obligations under the reciprocity agreement but has not yet taken any legal action. The latest vote, prepared by the civil liberties committee and approved by a plenary session of parliament, gives the Commission two months to act before MEPs can consider action in the European Court of Justice.

Australia, Brunei, Japan and Canada were also failing in their obligations, but all four have lifted, or are soon to lift, any visa restrictions on travel for EU citizens.

The Commission is legally obliged to act to suspend the visa waiver for Americans, but the European Parliament or the Council of the European Union have the chance to object to the “delegated act” it uses to do so.

In December, MEPs pressed for the move in order to “encourage” Washington to play its part, according to a statement by the parliament.

But Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos warned of “consequences”, including potential “retaliation” and a drop in visitor numbers precipitating substantial losses for the continent’s tourism industry.

Just days ago the Council said it would liberalise the visa regime for citizens of Georgia travelling into the EU.

Georgians can now, subject to final approval of the regulation, stay in any EU country for 90 days in any period of 180 days without needing a visa.

Carmelo Abela, Malta’s minister for national security, said: “This agreement will bring the people of Georgia and the EU closer together and will strengthen tourism and business ties. It follows the completion of the necessary reforms by Georgia, addressing document security, border management, migration and asylum.”

Last month it was reported that the EU was considering the adoption of a US-style electronic travel permit scheme – a move that could create a new administrative hurdle for British tourists after Brexit.

Immigration minister Robert Goodwill told Parliament the EU was discussing the possibility of introducing a version of America’s Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA).

Currently foreign travellers must pay a fee of $14 (£11) when they complete ESTA, an automated online system that determines their eligibility to travel to the US.

“British people are now used to the US ESTA scheme and, therefore, we view with interest how the European scheme might develop and what similarities, and differences, there may be to the US scheme,” Mr Goodwill said.

“This type of scheme is generally there to help enhance security. To get to know as much as possible about the people who are intending to travel.

“It isn’t just flights, it could be people using ferries, or other border crossings into the European Union.”

Alan Brown, an SNP member of the European Scrutiny Committee, pointed out that Leave advocates in the referendum campaign had said there would be no need for visa-like travel schemes after Brexit.

Had tourists’ average per capita expenditure in Greece in July and August been on a par with that at rival destinations, the country’s tourism revenues would not have posted a decline, according to a survey presented on Thursday by the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE).

The gap created from the 8.8 percent annual drop in average spending per tourist amounted to 500-550 million euros, while in rival countries (Spain, Turkey, Cyprus, Italy, Croatia and Portugal) the average decline amounted to just 1.7 percent.

SETE attributes that drop to the last-minute discounts offered by hoteliers, mainly in August.

“The Interdepartmental Commission at the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation has refused "Pobeda" to perform regular flights to Turin”, - according to the published order of the Federal Air Transport Agency on Tuesday.

The carrier requested admittance of flights on this destination 7 times a week. The airline companies "Siberia" (S7 group) and "Ural Airlines" also claimed to this slot. As a result, according to the order, the first company received 5 frequencies per week, the second one - 2.

It was reported earlier, that "Pobeda" gained admission to 7 frequencies per week to another Italian city - Pisa. Flights on this route the company plans to open in the winter schedule 2016/2017. Currently, "Pobeda" performs flights to Milan.

"Pobeda" is a low cost carrier of "Aeroflot" group. Flights are performed by 12 Boeing-737-800 to 58 destination, including 8 international: to several cities in Germany, Spain, Italy, Slovakia, Montenegro and Cyprus.

The new charge will come into effect on 27 September, and apply to the citizens of all 18 countries offered visa-on-arrival in Thailand. These include China, India, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia.

The newspaper reported the Thai Foreign Ministry as saying that the decision to implement a 100% increase was based on the belief that the current charge is lower than the visa fees paid by Thai tourists visiting other countries.

The timing of the decision is not ideal however; Thailand’s tourism authorities are working hard to encourage international travellers not to cancel their trips to the kingdom, following the recent bombings in several resort areas. The reason for the attacks is still unclear.

The other countries offered visa-on-arrival to Thailand are Bulgaria, Bhutan, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Romania, San Marino, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Mediterranean destinations and Southeast Asia attracted this year more Russian tourists after the problems in Turkey and Egypt, according to the Director of Russian Tour Operators Association (ATOR) Maya Lomidze.

She revealed that the first data on Russians' holidays abroad this summer indicate an increased demand throughout the entire season for Mediterranean destinations such as Greece, Cyprus, Spain and Italy along with a slight increase for Croatia and Montenegro.

Southeast Asia made a comeback in the top ten popular destinations after two years of weak demand. Another important finding is the increased demand for Tunisia this year, at a rate of over 200% compared with last year, positioning the destination among the top-3.

Ms. Lomidze added that Russians seek more affordable accommodation and flights this year with the average package cost ranging around $600.

Nevertheless, they are still among the most generous tourists with the average spending per trip reaching as high as 500 euros.

An EgyptAir passenger plane heading from Alexandria to Cairo has been hijacked and forced to head to Cyprus.

Airline and Egyptian government sources are quoted as saying that the domestic flight travelling from Alexandria to Cairo was taken over by at least one armed hijacker.

They asked for the flight to land in Cyprus, an EgyptAir spokeswoman is quoted as saying.

The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation reports that 55 people are on board.

There were earlier reports of more than 80 people on board.

EgyptAir flight MS181 is believed to have 55 people on board, with a crew of 7, according to the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation. Earlier media reports suggested there were about 80 to 81 people on board.

Egyptian civil aviation sources and police confirmed the hijacking and said one man was involved. The plane was an Airbus 320, they said.
The aviation body said a passenger with a suicide belt had threatened the pilot.

A Cypriot official says there were suspicions of a bomb on board. A second official said that there seemed to be "more than one hijacker".

He also added that there have been no demands other than that police vehicles move away from the aircraft.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity under regulations.

Dubai-based AL Arabiya reports that the Airbus 320 departed on Tuesday morning. After take-off, an individual on board announced he was wearing a belt with explosives.

The latest on the crash of a Russian plane in Egypt that killed all 224 people onboard last Saturday.

10:05 p.m.

Alitalia says it has suspended freight and mail transport in its aircraft holds as part of new security measures at Cairo airport.

The Rome-based airline said Friday it won't accept luggage traveling without an owner as part of strengthened security at the Egyptian airport. The measures follow the crash of a Russian passenger jet over Egypt on Oct. 31. U.S. and British officials fear a bomb might have blown up the plane in flight.

Alitalia noted that it doesn't operate any scheduled or charter flights to the Sinai peninsula, nor does it fly over the Sinai desert "or any war zones."

9:30 p.m.

Business owners who cater to tourists in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh say the Russian decision to suspend flights to the country may be catastrophic for them.

For 17 years, Ayman Aweiss has been running a cafe on a main drag in the city. On Friday, his cafe was empty. He says every business owner in Sharm el-Sheikh will be forced to leave after a month if there aren't any Russian tourists.

He says that if the situation remains like this "we can't live."

Other businesses in Sharm el-Sheikh, including tour companies and souvenir shops, say 60 to 80 percent of their business comes from Russian tourists. Many of the stores have Russian signage and hawkers call out in Russian to passers-by.

Ramy Roma, who runs a shop selling spices and souvenirs, is concerned but is trying to stay optimistic.

"Maybe it won't be a long time," he said. "Maybe the matter will be over tomorrow. God willing."

Sharm el-Sheikh sprawls along the coast, with resorts lining the blue sea against a harsh desert backdrop. Tourists flock to the built-up, commercialized area for sun, snorkeling, shopping and nightlife.

8:35 p.m.

The U.S. Homeland Security Department has announced a series of new security efforts aimed at international airports in the wake of the crash of a Russian jetliner over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said Friday the newest security efforts will focus on commercial flights bound for the United States from certain overseas airports in the region. He did not say which airports will be affected.

The new security procedures will include expanded security screening of items put on commercial jets, airport assessments and offers of security assistance for certain airports.

Russian carrier Metrojet's Airbus A321-200 crashed shortly after takeoff from the Sharm el-Sheikh airport in Egypt on Saturday, killing all 224 people on board. There are no direct flights from that airport to the U.S.

U.S. and British officials think the plane may have been blown up by a bomb and Britain has grounded all British flights to and from the Sinai Peninsula. On Friday, Russia also announced that it will suspend all flights to Egypt until security is improved at its airports.

8:10 p.m.

France 2 TV is reporting that "the sound of an explosion can be distinctly heard during the flight" according to "an investigator who had access to the black box" of the Metrojet plane that crashed in the Sinai.

France's BEA accident investigation agency said it could not confirm the report. The agency has experts now in Egypt investigating the crash because the Metrojet Airbus A321-200 was made in France.

U.S. and British officials think the plane that crashed Saturday, killing all 224 people aboard, may have been blown up by a bomb.

7:25 p.m.

A retired senior official in Egypt's Tourism Ministry says "airport security procedures in Egypt are almost (all) bad."

Magdy Salim tells The Associated Press that the crash of a Russian airliner in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people onboard, may be a deadly blow to the country's battered tourism sector, which has yet to fully recover after years of political turmoil.

Salim says he understands why people are scared — that's because security measures in Egypt are lax.

He says airport guards regularly skip security checks for friends or co-workers. He says they often don't search people "if they look chic or if they come out of a fancy car."

He noted that a donkey was found wandering around Cairo airport in April. In recent weeks, a stray dog wandered onto a runway and security forces were called in to catch a rogue cat ahead of an inspection by international regulators.

7:10 p.m.

In the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, frustrated tourists are bemoaning conflicting information not only about when they can leave — but also about how to pack.

British businessman James Farrar, who is stuck in a hotel with his partner, says: "We haven't been given information about how we should repack our stuff. We hear there are restrictions on what we can take in your hand luggage as well."

Hundreds of British tourists at the resort had been promised flights home Friday, though only a minority of the flights managed to take off and passengers were only allowed to carry hand luggage onboard.

Farrar said the prospect of being separated for days from most of his belongings was "disconcerting." He said many tourists had little faith in the increased airport security measures after reports surfaced that some managed to jump the queues by bribing security guards.

Security has been tightened because U.S. and British officials fear a bomb might have blown up a Metrojet flight in midair Saturday, killing all 224 people onboard.

6:40 p.m.

Slovenia's national carrier is suspending all flights to the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh following the crash of a Russian jet over Egypt.

Adria Airways said Friday its first scheduled flight to Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday has been canceled but the company will still be flying to Egypt's other Red Sea resort of Hurgada.

Slovenia's foreign ministry is advising citizens against traveling to Egypt until more is known about the cause of the crash that killed 244 people onboard. It says citizens already in Egypt should stay within the tourist resorts.

A Metrojet flight carrying 224 people crashed in the Sinai Peninsula on Saturday. .U.S. and British officials fear a bomb might have blown up the plane in midair.

6:30 p.m.

Several flights heading to Sharm el-Sheikh to bring back stranded British tourists have turned around in mid-air, and airlines are scaling back the number of flights they plan to operate.

Monarch sent five empty planes from Britain to the Red Sea resort but said only two would return Friday. Two more were on the ground in Sharm el-Sheikh and the fifth was diverted to Larnaca, Cyprus.

Thomas Cook said only one of its four planes due in Sharm el-Sheikh to pick up vacationers was being allowed to land. Flight-tracking websites showed two turning back mid-flight.

The U.K. grounded all flights to and from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday, saying the Oct. 31 Metrojet crash may have been caused by a bomb.

U.K. airlines planned 29 repatriation flights Friday, but Egypt's civil aviation minister said only eight would operate. Prime Minister David Cameron's office said officials were trying to get people back as quickly as possible but "the sheer scale of the task poses a number of logistical complexities."

6:10 p.m.

Travel agency Thomas Cook says two flights that left the UK heading to Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh airport will not be landing as scheduled.

Thomas Cook representative Mahmoud Ezz has told passengers at the airport that the flights on Friday, which were expected come and then take British tourists back to Manchester and London-Gatwick, are not landing.

Online tracker Flight Radar 24 shows the two planes have turned around in mid-flight.

Ezz tells stranded passengers they are getting accommodations in the Red Sea resort for the night and will be notified about a new flight time.

Approximately 20,000 British tourists are stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh after the U.K. grounded all regular flights to and from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. U.S. and British officials fear a bomb might have blown up a Metrojet flight in midair last Saturday, killing 224 people, mostly Russian tourists leaving the Red Sea resort.

5:55 p.m.

Britain's defense minister has met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in London to discuss working together against common security threats, including the Islamic State group.

Michael Fallon said that as part of the collaboration, Britain will form a small military operations team in Egypt to "better understand" Libyan and regional security issues and how Britain can support Egypt's government.

Britain earlier said it had sent a small team of military personnel to Egypt to assess security arrangements at Sharm el-Sheikh airport, where hundreds of British tourists have been stranded after Britain decided to suspend flights for security reasons.

A Metrojet flight carrying mostly Russian tourists crashed after leaving the airport on Saturday, killing all 224 on board. U.S. and British officials fear a bomb might have blown up the plane in midair.

5:25 p.m.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's halt on flights to Egypt from Russia will affect tens of thousands of Russians and is expected to devastate Egyptian tourism.

Russian officials and tourism experts say there's about 30,000 to 40,000 Russians now in Egypt.

Tourist flights to Egypt leave daily from many Russian cities. There were 14 Egypt-bound flights Friday from Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport and another eight flights to Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh from Moscow's Domodedovo Airport.

The Egyptian economy is deeply dependent on tourism, and the industry was hurting even before the Metrojet crash Saturday that killed 224 people.

Egypt's Tourism Minister Hesham Zazou said in September that tourism at Red Sea beach resorts was rebounding after years of turmoil following the 2011 ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, but otherwise "tourism is suffering tremendously" in Egypt.

5:05 p.m.

President Vladimir Putin's spokesman says the Russian leader's order to suspend all flights to Egypt does not mean that Russia now views terrorism as the main theory behind the Metrojet plane crash.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday "it definitely doesn't mean that. Not a single theory can be given priority, since there aren't any definite indications to prove it."

Peskov says the flight suspension will last as long as it takes Egyptian aviation authorities to put "a proper level of security" into place.

A Metrojet flight carrying mostly Russian tourists crashed over the Sinai Peninsula on Saturday, killing all 224 on board. U.S. and British officials fear a bomb might have blown up the plane in midair.

4:50 p.m.

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin says all flights to Egypt will be suspended until proper security is in place there.

Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that the suspension will not wait until the results of the probe into Saturday's plane crash is complete. He says it will last as long as it takes Egyptian authorities to put "a proper level of security" into place.

Peskov would not say what these securities measures should be but said the Russian government will hammer out the details together with the Egyptians.

A Metrojet flight carrying mostly Russian tourists crashed over the Sinai Peninsula on Saturday, killing all 224 on board. U.S. and British officials fear a bomb might have blown up the plane in midair.

4:20 p.m.

Russian experts have brought plane wreckage samples to Moscow from Egypt to study for possible traces of explosives.

Russian news agencies on Friday quoted Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov as saying that experts are sure to find a trace of explosives on the samples if it was a bomb that brought down the Metrojet flight on Saturday.

The Metrojet flying from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to Russia's St. Petersburg crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 onboard.

U.S. and British officials fear a bomb might have blown up the plane in midair while Russian officials say they are looking into all theories of why the plane crashed.

4:10 p.m.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a halt to all Russian flights to Egypt and told authorities to repatriate Russians in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh pending an investigation into Saturday's plane crash in the Sinai.

Putin on Friday promptly reacted to a suggestion by the Russian intelligence chief, who said it was "reasonable" to halt the flights. Neither Putin nor Alexander Bortnikov offered the timeline for the suspension or the repatriation.

All 224 people aboard the Oct. 31 Metrojet flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg were killed, and U.S. and British officials fear a bomb might have blown up the plane in midair.

4 p.m.

Aviation experts say British authorities are making travelers leave most of their luggage behind when leaving the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh so that it can be intensively searched before being put on an aircraft.

The U.K. has grounded all flights to and from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, saying there was a "significant possibility" a Russian airliner that crashed Saturday was downed by a bomb. All 224 people on the plane were killed.

Britain has not disclosed details about its intelligence, but speculation has focused on a bomb in the hold.

Analyst Paul Beaver said passengers are being told to travel with carry-on luggage only so there can be "the most thorough search" of their luggage by British security officials who have been sent to Sharm el-Sheikh. He said any checked bags would be flown back separately, probably on Royal Air Force jets.

David Learmount, editor of Flightglobal magazine, told Sky News that "not taking any luggage in the bag hold means the underfloor luggage compartment can be sealed, so that nobody can get into it."

3:45 p.m.

The head of the Russian intelligence agency FSB says it would be "reasonable" to suspend all Russian flights to Egypt pending the results of a probe into the cause of Saturday's crash of a Russian plane in the Sinai Peninsula.

Russian news agencies on Friday quoted Alexander Bortnikov as saying that investigators should take their time in establishing the cause of the crash. Bortnikov did not provide a timeline for the suggested suspension of flights but said it should cover all tourist flights.

All 224 people aboard the Oct. 31 Metrojet flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg were killed, and U.S. and British officials fear a bomb might have blown up the plane in midair.

3:30 p.m.

Budget airline easyJet says two flights have taken off from Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh airport and are en route to London, carrying 359 vacationers who had been stranded at the Red Sea resort after British authorities grounded flights.

The airline says one flight is headed to London's Gatwick airport with 180 passengers and another with 179 passengers is bound for London's Luton airport.

EasyJet had originally planned seven other flights to London on Friday and one to Milan, but says those have been cancelled. The airline says it is paying for hotels and additional expenses for its stranded customers.

The U.K. grounded all flights to and from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday, saying there was a "significant possibility" a Russian airliner that crashed Oct. 31 was downed by a bomb.

2:30 p.m.

Egypt's civil aviation minister says Sharm el-Sheikh airport will operate eight flights to the U.K. Friday, instead of the 29 flights planned earlier.

Hossam Kamal says in an e-mailed statement that British airlines are flying without passengers' luggage, while the airport isn't able to hold more than 120 tons of luggage left behind.

"This big volume will affect the smooth operation of the rest of the domestic and international flights," says Kamal, adding that a cargo plane is planned to carry the baggage of departing passengers the same day of the departure.

"Egypt fully cooperates with the British side in the light of the resources of the airport and in accordance with international security regulations," says the minister.

2:10 p.m.

Britain's government says it is urgently working with Egyptian authorities to make sure planned flights leave the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Anger and confusion reigned Friday at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport after British airline easyJet said Egyptian authorities were disrupting plans to fly hundreds of British tourists back home. Exasperated tourists heckled the British ambassador, demanding to know when they would be flown out.

The ambassador is denying that Egypt is blocking the flights.

The British Department for Transport says travelers should not leave for the Sharm el-Sheikh airport unless they have a confirmed flight and asks for "people's patience at this difficult time."

The U.K. grounded all flights to and from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday, saying there was a "significant possibility" a Russian airliner that crashed Oct. 31 was downed by a bomb.

1:55 p.m.

Belgium is advising its nationals not to travel to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, until the reasons for the crash of a Russian airliner that took off from the Red City resort are determined.

All 224 people aboard the Oct. 31 Metrojet flight to St. Petersburg were killed, and U.S. and British officials fear a bomb might have blown up the plane in midair. Russian and Egyptian officials say it's too early to know that.

A travel advisory Friday on the Belgian Foreign Ministry website recommended "heightened vigilance" for anyone traveling in Egypt. It says "terrorist acts are regularly committed throughout the territory, chiefly against police and military targets, but they can also affect civilians."

It also recommended against travel in Egyptian border areas close to Libya and Sudan and in the northern Sinai Peninsula.

1:40 p.m.

Exasperated British tourists who have waited for hours at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport are heckling U.K. Ambassador John Casson after reports of more flight delays and cancellations.

One irate tourist at the Red Sea resort shouted: "When are we going home?"

Casson says "our aim is to get as many people home as soon as possible" adding there would be more flights out Friday.

Britain has blocked flights to the Red Sea resort amid fears, shared by the U.S., that a bomb brought down a Metrojet carrying 224 people out of Sharm el-Sheikh on Oct. 31. Russia and Egypt say it's too soon to say that.

Casson says Egyptian authorities are not blocking flights from taking the tourists home, as easyJet was claiming.

He told tourists British authorities "will continue to work until we have everybody home. There are challenging, difficult issues to work through, this is a busy airport and we need to make sure people leave in a way that is safe."

1:20 p.m.

Air France is stepping up security checks in Cairo and France is warning its citizens to limit travel around Egypt after a Russian jet crashed in the Sinai Peninsula amid fears it was downed by a bomb.

France's Foreign Ministry on Friday urged its citizens to avoid Sharm el-Sheikh, Taba and surrounding areas in Sinai unless they have an "imperative reason" to go.

France also toughened its travel warning for Egypt on Thursday. It strongly urges French travelers to avoid the rest of Sinai, avoid the Nile Delta unless necessary, and use vigilance around Cairo and some other Egyptian cities.

Air France said Friday it is reinforcing screening procedures in Cairo. Air France partner company KLM announced Friday it is only accepting hand luggage on flights from Cairo, but Air France says it is still accepting checked-in luggage.

The Metrojet crash Saturday killed 224 people, mostly Russian tourists.

12:40 p.m.

The Dutch foreign minister says his government's decision to issue a negative travel advisory this week for Sharm el-Sheikh airport was linked to lax security.

Minister Bert Koenders told reporters Friday in The Hague: "We have the impression that there are insufficient security measures there."

He stressed the advisory did not cover the whole of Egypt.

Dutch travel companies are preparing to repatriate tourists vacationing at the Egyptian Red Sea resort, the takeoff point for a Metrojet plane that crashed into the Sinai desert on Oct. 31. All 224 people aboard were killed, and U.S. and British officials fear a bomb might have blown up the plane in midair.

Laura Water, a spokeswoman for travel company TUI, says it has cancelled flights on Sunday and Tuesday from Amsterdam to Sharm el-Sheikh and will fly empty planes to the resort to pick up just under 200 of its customers. Returning passengers will only be allowed to take hand luggage on board.

12:10 p.m.

British airline easyJet says its plans to fly hundreds of stranded Britons back from the Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheikh have been disrupted by Egyptian authorities.

The budget carrier had been due to operate 10 flights from the Red Sea resort on Friday, but said eight would not be able to operate because Egypt had suspended British flights from flying into the airport.

Monarch and British Airways said they still planned to operate flights back from Sinai on Friday.

The U.K. grounded all flights to and from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday, saying there was a "significant possibility" a Russian airliner that crashed Saturday, killing 224 people, was downed by a bomb.

11:50 a.m.

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow is outraged at a cartoon in the French weekly Charlie Hebdo mocking the Russian plane crash in Egypt.

Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that Moscow views the cartoon as "blasphemy."

It's one of dozens of cartoons in this week's edition of Charlie Hebdo, which has been beset by tensions this year over whether there should be limits, after 12 people were killed at the magazine's offices by Islamic extremists over the paper's publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

The small cartoon appears on the magazine's back page and shows plane parts and a passenger falling from the sky onto a bearded, armed man in what appears to be an Islamic robe.

The commentary reads: Islamic State: Russian aviation intensifies its bombardments.

Russians have been bombing Islamic State targets in Syria since end of September.

Lawmakers at the Russian State Duma voiced their outrage as well, calling on the government to blacklist the French publication as extremist literature and insisting that the French authorities react and apologize.

11:20 a.m.

In the Netherlands, a KLM spokeswoman would not elaborate on the Dutch carrier's decision to only allow passengers to take hand luggage on board a plane that left Cairo airport on Friday.

Gedi Schrijver repeated a KLM statement that it was a precautionary measure based on "national and international information."

She said that "the airport in Cairo is good, because we can fly there without restrictions, but loading baggage in the hold via Cairo airport we have decided not to do that based on the information."

She would not give any more details about the source of the information that led to the decision.

KLM has no direct flights to the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, from where the doomed Russian plane took off last Saturday.

9:40 a.m.

Dutch carrier KLM has instructed its passengers leaving from the Egyptian capital of Cairo that they can only take hand luggage on board the plane departing Friday.

A statement on KLM's website says the measure is "based on national and international information and out of precaution."

It follows a similar announcement from Britain, whose tourists are allowed to only take carry-on luggage as they start leaving the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Security officials at the Cairo airport told The Associated Press that flight KL554 left for Amsterdam on Friday morning with only 115 passengers out of the 247 who were booked.

The officials say the remaining passengers refused to leave without taking their check-in bags. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

—Maamoun Youssef in Cairo.

9:10 am

Egyptian police are carrying out detailed security checks around the airport at Sharm el-Sheikh — the resort from where the doomed Russian plane took off last weekend — after U.K. officials confirmed that flights will start bringing stranded British tourists home from the Sinai Peninsula.

Dozens of busses are waiting outside the airport on Friday morning, with the line stretching up to a kilometer (half mile) as police inspect each vehicle. Most of those onboard are Russian and British tourists.

Britain has said that additional security measures will be in place, including only allowing passengers to carry hand baggage, while checked luggage will be transported separately.

The Metrojet plane crashed 23 minutes after taking off from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for St. Petersburg last Saturday, with mostly Russians aboard.

Russia and Egypt on Thursday dismissed Western suggestions that a terrorist bomb may have caused the crash that killed 224 people, saying the speculation was a rush to judgment.