Confusion reigned at the airport in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Friday as a British plan to quickly evacuate thousands of its citizens under emergency security rules was thrown into doubt.
Despite repeated assurances from British officials that the airlift would go ahead as planned, the low-cost carrier EasyJet announced Friday that "rescue plans that were put in place yesterday have been suspended by the Egyptian authorities."
Egypt's civil aviation officials, however, blamed the snag on trying to add flights to the limited capacity of the airport in the Red Sea resort, where many airlines canceled service after last week's crash of Russian passenger jet that some Western leaders suggest could have been caused by a bomb.
Regardless of the outcome of the crash probe, the chaos and questions - including flight cancellations and travel advisories by some European nations - reflect another punishing blow to Egypt's tourist industry already reeling from political unrest and Islamist militant attacks.