Are flights to Egypt being cancelled? How far is the destination from Israel - is it safe to fly amid Middle East conflict

Currently the Foreign Office has issued a new travel warning for the popular holiday destination Egypt amid tensions in the Middle East. It says: “Ongoing hostilities between Israel and Lebanon could escalate quickly and pose risks for the wider region.

“Monitor this travel advice and other media as the situation is changing fast. Follow and contact FCDO travel on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also get email notifications when this travel advice is updated. Read FCDO advice if you’re affected by a crisis abroad.”

Egypt is a hugely popular travel destination for Brits. However, its geographical location may cause doubts about whether travel is safe right now. The North African country shares borders with the Gaza Strip as well as Israel, and it has a long coastline along the Red Sea.

Travel to Egypt so far remains unaffected by regional tensions and most tourist hotspots, such as Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada have been unaffected by recent travel guidelines. Flights remain in operation, and major tourist destinations in Egypt are open.

Instead of flying over Iraq, airlines are re-routing flights over Saudi and Egyptian airspace and diverting to the likes of Egypt. RadarBox posted on X, formerly Twitter, last night (Monday 1 October): “Several flights bound for Dubai and Doha are currently diverting to Cairo, Egypt, including Emirates#EK50, #EK2566, Qatar Airways #QR150, #QR4, #QR8266, and Finnair #AY1981.” This could lead to flight delays at Cairo Airport.

Flights to Egypt are not being disrupted presently, however, the Foreign Office is warning against travel to certain parts of the country. It is advising against all travel to within 20km of the Egypt-Libya border, except for the town of El Salloum, where it advises against all but essential travel.

It also also advising holidaymakers not to travel to the North Sinai Governorate, and advises against all but essential travel to the northern part of the South Sinai Governorate, beyond the St Catherine-Nuweibaa road, the Ismailiyah Governorate east of the Suez Canal and the area west of the Nile Valley and Nile Delta regions. It adds: “International borders in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) could close at short notice, including the Taba border crossing between Israel and Egypt. Check with local authorities and read Israel travel advice and OPTs travel advice before trying to cross.