Moscow, November 6 (RHC)-- Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the suspension of all Russian flights to Egypt following a deadly passenger plane crash in the African country.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Putin agreed with the recommendations of the Federal Security Service (FSB), adding that the flights will be suspended until a “proper level of air communication security” is established.
He went on to say that the decision to suspend the flights was “solely connected with security” reasons. Peskov added that the president had instructed the government to ensure the safe return of Russian citizens from Egypt.
According to figures provided by Russia’s tourism agency and cited by Russian news agency TASS, around 45,000 Russians are currently on holiday in Egypt.
“As long as we haven’t established the causes of the incident, I consider it appropriate to suspend the flights of Russian aircraft to Egypt. This primarily applies to the tourist flow,” Aleksandr Bortnikov, the director of the FSB, told a meeting of the Russian Anti-Terror Committee on Friday.
There is a need for “absolute objectivity” and “confirmed data” to establish the causes of the disaster, he added.
The Airbus A321, run by Russia’s Kogalymavia airline, dropped off radar screens on October 31, 23 minutes after takeoff from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The Russian passenger plane crashed in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing all the 224 people on board.
