At least 179 Irish people are known to be in Egypt as British and Irish flights in the area have been suspended amid terrorism fears.
The Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin said scores of passport holders had registered with its consular division but the official figure may not be a true reflection of all Irish citizens in the country.
Diplomats said they were constantly reviewing travel advice for Egypt after all Irish and UK flights to and from the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh were suspended amid concerns that the Russian plane that crashed in the Sinai region last weekend was brought down by an “explosive device”.
This afternoon, Russian president Vladimir Putin has said all countries should wait for the outcome of a Russian-Egyptian investigation into the tragedy before coming to conclusions about its causes.
In a 10-minute phone conversation with British prime minister David Cameron, he suggested Britain jumped the gun in grounding flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh.
All Irish people in Egypt have been urged to register their details on dfa.ie/travel/citizens-registration by the department of foreign affairs.
“We are closely monitoring the situation in Egypt though our embassy in Cairo,” a spokesman said.
The numbers of Irish in Egypt were revealed after the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) directed Irish airlines not to fly to the area and diplomats updated travel advice for the region.
The last chartered flights to Red Sea resorts and other Egyptian tourist spots left Ireland in mid-October and are understood to have returned, while the next planned service for holidaymakers is on Christmas Eve.
No scheduled flights operate out of Dublin to Cairo or other Egyptian destinations at this time of year, aviation chiefs said.
The IAA order bans Irish operators from travelling to and from the Sinai Peninsula or Sharm el-Sheikh.
‘High degree of caution’
Tourists going to the popular Red Sea destination are advised to exercise “a high degree of caution” and have been warned not to leave the resort.
“Irish citizens are advised to avoid non-essential travel to Egypt at this time due to a heightened threat of terrorist incidents, including targeted attacks against foreigners, and a continuing threat of civil unrest,” the DFA said.
It said exceptions to the heightened travel advice included destinations on the Red Sea coast such as Hurghada and others outside Sinai but that tourists should not leave resorts.
Elsewhere, people travelling to Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel and cruising between those destinations are advised to exercise caution and arrive and depart by air, the DFA said.
The Irish Travel Agents Association urged holidaymakers to follow the advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs. Pat Dawson, chief executive, said: "We continue to monitor the situation in Egypt in close partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs. There are currently no charters to Sharm el-Sheikh."
PA