British Airways has become the second airline to scrap flights to Cairo, citing citing unspecified security concerns.

German airline Lufthansa cancelled flights to the Egyptian capital on Saturday while an evaluation of an undisclosed “situation” was taking place, later announcing that normal flights would resume on Sunday.

British Airway’s response has been far more dramatic, with all flights scrapped for the next week.

The safety of passengers and crew was the airline’s top priority, a British Airways spokeswoman said, again without giving details about the security issue that prompted the cancellations.

Passengers who still wanted to travel to Cairo would be rebooked on other airlines, British Airways said.

In its updated travel warning for Egypt, the British Foreign Office refers to the British Airways cancellations and points to an increased terrorism risk for air traffic.

The office warns against non-essential travel to Sharm el-Sheikh, where in 2015 a bomb exploded on Russian passenger jet shortly after take-off, killing all 224 people on board.

The bombing, which was claimed by the Islamic State terrorist organisation, prompted multiple countries to cancel flights to the Red Sea resort town.

-with AAP