EasyJet, BA cancel Sharm el-Sheikh flights until January

LONDON (AP) - British Airways and easyJet have canceled flights to Sharm el-Sheikh until at least January, as Britain advises its citizens to avoid travel there after last month's downing of a Russian passenger jet.

Britain and several other countries canceled all flights to the Egyptian resort after an Airbus 321 operated by Russian airline Metrojet crashed Oct. 31, killing 224 people. The Islamic State militant group says it downed the plane with a bomb.

Almost 20,000 British vacationers were repatriated, and the Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to the Red Sea resort's airport.

EasyJet said Tuesday that after discussions with the government, it had decided not to resume flights "until the government's advice changes." It scrapped flights until at least Jan. 6, offering passengers a refund or a flight to another destination.

British Airways said it was suspending flights to Sharm el-Sheikh until Jan. 14.

British holiday carriers Monarch, Thomson and Thomas Cook have stopped flying to the airport until dates in December.