A Highland nurse and her mother face being stranded at a blacklisted Egyptian holiday resort as thousands of British holidaymakers battle to get flights home.
Sara Stephenson and her mother Fiona jetted off to the popular Sharm el-Sheikh tourist spot for a sunshine break.
But within days of their arrival in north Africa the UK Government announced that all flights in and out of the city would be suspended immediately amid fears that the Russian plane crash in the Sinai desert may have been caused by a bomb planted onboard.
Accident and emergency nurse Miss Stephenson to the Press and Journal yesterday from the Sea Club Resort in Nabq Bay.
She said tour operators were doing all they could to ensure stranded travellers have a place to stay.
She and her mum are due to fly back to Edinburgh Airport tomorrow night before Miss Stephenson returns to her NHS Highland job on Monday.
But with just a handful of “essential” flights leaving Sharm el-Sheikh – and warnings that services might be disrupted until Christmas – they have no idea how close they are to the top of the list.
About 20,000 British tourists staying in the Red Sea resorts of the Sinai peninsula are thought be affected by the government’s flights ban.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has advised against all but essential travel through the region’s airport as there is a “significant possibility” that Metrojet Flight 9268 was brought down by a terrorist act.
The horrific crash on Saturday killed all 224 people on board – 192 adults, 25 children and seven crew.
There have been claims that someone planted a bomb on the plane before it took off, and that an airport official may have helped.
Last night, Monarch airline said it hoped to operate three “rescue flights” and two scheduled flights from the Egyptian resort to the UK today.
No other airline has published details of flights.
Yesterday, Miss Stephenson, from Oban, said she and her mother had no idea when they would get home.
But she said tourists were being treated “incredibly well” – and that they felt safe and secure.
She said: “Thomson has set up a room in our hotel resort for any inquiries.
“They are saying they are hoping to start flying UK tourists back home from tomorrow morning, but there is no guarantee as of yet.
“Most people are still enjoying their holiday though and those who haven’t been able to get home are being put up all-inclusive.
“My mum and I feel completely safe in the resort area, and security into our hotel is very tight.
“We went on an excursion yesterday and on coming back to the hotel security stopped our bus and had sniffer dogs round the bus before letting us in.”
Miss Stephenson said she could not help but feel the situation had been “dramatised” by the UK Government, causing worry for thousands of tourists and the local people who rely on tourist trade.
She added: “I feel very sorry for the Egyptian people at the Red Sea resorts. Tourism seems to be all they have.
“I fear this will have a detrimental effect on their economy as people will be too scared to come here now.
“It’s my first time here, but I would still come back.
“After all, if you look at terror alert areas on a map, many holiday resorts in Spain are on red. It’s a shame.”