British low-cost airline easyjet on cancelled its scheduled flight from Milan's Malpensa airport to the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh amid security fears after a Russian tourist jet resort crashed in the Sinai desert killing all 224 people on board.
Easyjet's move stranded 180 of its passengers who were due to return to Italy from the Red Sea resort late on Thursday.
Over 20,000 tourists were stranded in Egypt on Thursday after the British and Irish governments ordered the suspension of all flights to and from the resort amid fears the plane may have been downed by a bomb smuggled on board.
"We are doing everything possible to keep affected passengers informed and have provided hotel rooms for those delayed overnight," easyJet said in a statement.
"We are currently working with the UK Government about how we can bring passengers home," the statement said adding that this was unlikely to be before Friday.
"The safety and security of its passengers and crew is easyJet's highest priority," the statement concluded.
The Islamic State militant group's Egyptian affiliate claimed it brought down the Kogalymavia airliner on Saturday in the Sinai desert iin retaliation for Russia's air campaign in Syria but did not say how.
Britain said on Thursday there was a significant possibility that the IS-affiliated Sinai Province group was behind a suspected bomb attack on the St Petersburg bound jet.
Russia dismissed the claim as speculation and Egypt said there was no indication so far that a bomb was to blame.
