Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport received two TUI operated flights from the UK for the first time since 2015, a statement from the civil aviation ministry read late Sunday.

The first flight came from London's Gatwick Airport, carrying 184 passengers, while the second one came from Manchester Airport, carrying 190 passengers.

The British tour operator is scheduled to operate three flights weekly from Gatwick to the South Sinai tourist city in the current winter season till March 25.

The move comes months after the UK lifted a four-year ban on direct flights to the popular winter sun destination in October 2019, citing "improvements in security procedures at the airport."

British flights were suspended in November 2015 over security concerns after a Russian passenger jet crashed in Sinai minutes after take-off from Sharm El-Sheikh airport, killing all 224 people on board.

The first British flight after the ban was lifted arrived in Sharm El-Sheikh from London last December.

Last month, Britain's budget airline easyJet said it will resume flights to the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh this summer for the first time in over four years.

The resumption of British flights is expected to contribute to boosting the country's tourism industry, a pillar of the economy and a key source of hard currency.