Pilots were concerned about security at Egypt's Sharm El Sheikh airport before the October bombing of a Russian jetliner that took off from the beach resort, the head of the British Airline Pilots Association said on Monday.

"Before Metrojet, pilots flying in and out of Sharm were talking about lax security," Jim McAuslan, the head of the BALPA union said.

The Russian government last week said it had evidence a bomb was placed on the airliner that was downed over Sinai killing all 224 people onboard. An Egyptian affiliate of Islamic State has claimed it smuggled a bomb onto the plane.

The UK has suspended flights to the Egyptian resort in the wake of the crash amid concerns about security at the facility. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security this month tightened security measures for international flights into the U.S. from the Middle East after the downing of the Russian plane.

Pilots didn't report their concerns about Sharm El Sheikh security because the lapses were increasingly viewed as normal for the facility, Mr. McAuslan said.

"This has been a wake-up call," Mr. McAuslan said.

Earlier this month, the British government announced it would double spending on aviation security. Some of the money will go toward additional staff to scrutinize security at foreign airports.

​Mr. McAuslan said that increasing the number of inspectors would remain low even with the increase. Other measures should be taken to gather information on potential vulnerabilities, he said, adding that checks shouldn't be limited to facilities overseas, ​

"One of the routes is to engage pilots and cabin crew to be the eyes and ears of the aviation industry," he said.

Current methods in which airline staff can report concerns about security are limited and should be reformed, Mr. McAuslan said, calling pilot and cabin crew "free intelligence officers."

The pilot group expects to meet with the British government next month to discuss security issues. ​

Mr. McAuslan said that in recent days pilots have also​expressed misgivings about flights to Hurghada, another Egyptian resort town. These reflected heightened anxiety about flights to the region, rather than ​concerns over specific security shortcomings, he said.

In the wake of the Russian jetliner downing, terrorist attacks in Paris and Mali -- at a hotel frequented by airline staff -- the need for heightened security will persist for some time​, Mr. McAuslan said. "I don't think it is going to return to normal," he said.

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