Government dismisses Ryanair threat

Travellers have been warned there would be no early end to airport delays as police disclosed the huge scale of their investigation into the alleged transatlantic airline terror plot.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) said every police force in the UK had sent, or was sending, officers to London to help with the inquiry.

Meanwhile, the Department for Transport (DfT) ruled out any imminent return to "normal" airport security measures, despite an ultimatum from budget airline Ryanair.

The Irish no-frills carrier said it would sue the Government for compensation for delays unless usual security arrangements resumed within a week.

But the DfT said it had "no intention of compromising security" and did not anticipate changing requirements in the next seven days.

The row came as British holidaymakers flying to Egypt today became caught up in another aircraft security scare.

Their Excel Airways charter flight took off from Gatwick airport bound for Hurghada in Egypt, but was diverted to Brindisi airport in Italy after reports there was a bomb on board.

All the passengers safely disembarked from the Boeing 767 and later the Italian police said they were "standing down" the alert.

The incident was the second of its kind in 48 hours. On Wednesday, a United Airlines plane from Heathrow to Washington DC had to divert to Boston, in the United States, after a woman passenger began behaving strangely.

The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) also attacked the new security measures, which mean pilots cannot have toothpaste or contact lens solution in the cockpit.