Egypt to boost airport security

Egypt says there is no evidence that a criminal act brought down a Russian plane last month, but that it intends to strengthen airport security.

Egypt is to hire a foreign company to help improve the country's airport security, seen as a weak link in the air safety chain since a Russian plane crashed in the Sinai on October 31.

The government said in a statement on Monday that it had found no evidence of terrorism or other illegal action linked to the crash of the Russian passenger plane in Sinai that killed all 224 people on board.

Russia and several Western states have said the Airbus A321 operated by Metrojet was likely brought down by a bomb, and the Islamic State militant group said it had smuggled an explosive on board.

The plane took off from Sharm al-Sheikh, a Red Sea resort popular with Russian and British holiday makers. Those two countries have suspended flights to the destination and Egypt's tourism industry in general has suffered.

The government statement said Egyptian officials recently met with several international companies and one would be chosen.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

But Egypt's civil aviation ministry said it had completed a preliminary report on the crash and had so far found no evidence of a criminal act.

Egypt is facing a two-year Islamist insurgency in the Sinai that killed hundreds of soldiers and police. Islamic State said the bombing was in response to Russian air strikes in Syria.


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world