UK flight lands in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh after five-year restrictions are lifted

British tourists arriving on one of the first flights from the UK to Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh on Monday were greeted with celebrations after restrictions following a 2015 airline terror attack were lifted, according to media reports.

The travellers, who arrived on a TUI flight from Gatwick, were met with fire engines spraying water over the aircraft and a reception with cocktails, flowers and music.

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The UK lifted restrictions on flights to the resort town in October, with TUI, the UK's biggest travel company, announcing a resumption of flights last year.

The restrictions were implemented in November 2015 after the bombing of a Russian airliner shortly after take-off from Sharm El-Sheikh airport. 

The attack killed all 224 people on board, mainly Russian travellers. The UK ended up repatriating approximately 16,000 tourists.

Read also: Egypt builds a wall around Sharm el-Sheikh to 'keep out terrorists and Bedouins'

The UK's Department for Transport said the decision to reinstate commercial flights was due to "improvements in security procedures at the airport, and close co-operation between the UK and Egypt on aviation security".

EasyJet announced it would also resume flights to Sharm El-Sheikh this year.

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