While the ongoing missile strikes from the US, Israel, and Iran have not directly impacted Egypt, many British nationals with trips scheduled will be well aware of regional tensions across the Middle East. The US State Department did not respond to Condé Nast Traveller‘s multiple requests for comment on Egypt’s inclusion on the evacuation list shared by Namdar via social media.
Egypt has not halted its tourism initiatives since the start of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October 2023, leading some regional experts to believe that Egypt’s inclusion in the State Department’s latest statement was a precautionary measure. “Iran has shown that it will attack strategic US bases and embassies in the surrounding Arab Nations (Bahrain, UAE, and Saudi Arabia), so both countries could potentially be targets even if they are not at this point in time,” says Chris Bazos, Condé Nast Traveller travel specialist the co-founder and president of Travelous, a travel agency with operations in Egypt.
“Currently, there are no issues in either Egypt or Jordan – life is completely normal as of right now,” says Bazos. “Our travellers who are in the country at the moment happen to be winding up their trips over the next few days, but it’s uncertain whether our upcoming March/April [trips] will run in light of this advisory and the flight cancellations. We’re all on a wait-and-see basis as this continues to unfold.”
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Are flights to and from Egypt operating normally?
Flights to and from Egypt are still largely operational, although a small number of flights have been suspended across other Middle Eastern regional hubs with closed and suspended airspace. Major airports such as Cairo International Airport (CAI), Hurghada International Airport (HRG), Luxor International Airport (LXR), and Sharm El Sheikh International Airport (SSH) are all functioning at maximal capacity per Minister of Civil Aviation Sameh el Hefny’s direction, according to a statement released by Egypt’s State Information Service.
Keep up to date with the latest on flight disruptions across the Middle East here.
Which airlines are flying in and out of Egypt?
Most international airlines remain affected by Middle East airspace closures, though none have specifically suspended service to Egypt at the time of writing, Wednesday 4 March, 6pm GMT.
What is the UK government advising?
The UK government’s travel advice reflects a variety of regional tensions, most of which were in place before the conflict in the Middle East escalated on Saturday, 28 March. At the time of writing, these are the current advisories:
Egypt-Libya border
FCDO advises against all travel to within 20km of the Egypt-Libya border, except for the town of El Salloum, where we advise against all but essential travel.
North Sinai
FCDO advises against all travel to the North Sinai Governorate.
Northern part of South Sinai
