Sharm’s airport safety exposed by Harrogate holidaymaker who skipped security for £20

Dale Parkin, 47, was on holiday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in February when he was due to fly back to Leeds-Bradford Airport.

However, when he and his partner arrived at Sharm’s military controlled airport, they were shocked to discover the long lengths of the security queues.

Whilst waiting, he and his partner, Joanne, were approached by a security guard who gave them the opportunity to bypass all security checks for just £20.

Repatriation of stranded tourists begins today

After handing their money over, the Harrogate couple were led by the security member past the queues, passport and baggage check, straight to their gate.

He said: “The queues at the airport were massive but then this guy wearing a jumper over a bullet-proof vest appeared in front of us.

“He brought out a sterling £20 note and asked us if we wanted to jump the queues. Me and Joanne just laughed but we decided to give him the money.

“We were taken right to the plane, we never had our luggage scanned. It was ridiculous, the only time we showed our passport was when we were on the plane.”

Dale’s revelations come just days after an Airbus A321 operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia crashed while from Sharm El-Sheikh to St Petersburg, killing all 224 people on board.

New intelligence suggests the crash was caused by an explosive device on board with British aviation experts now assessing the safety of the airport and flights bound for the United Kingdom.

Despite joking about bypassing security as it happened in February, Dale said that, after the recent tragedy the couple were shocked by the lax security.

He said: “It was only when we were listening to the news the other day and heard what had happened that we thought that could have been us.

“When you talk about airport security nowadays, you think about the full scanners because you can’t be too careful. If it takes a bit longer to get through the queues then so be it.

“At the time we thought it was ridiculous but we were laughing and saying ‘look at these losers waiting’ but we realise now that we could have been the losers.

“Looking at what’s happened of course we wouldn’t do it again. The scary thing is that £20 to the security worker is equivalent to a couple of weeks wages so you can see the incentive for the staff to do it.”