No Australians on board Russian plane downed over Egypt

DFAT says there were no Australians on board an a Russian plane that crashed in Egypt, killing everyone on board.

Debris from crashed Russian jet lies strewn across the sand at the site of the crash, Sinai disappeared from raider after requesting an emergency landing early 31 October, crashing in the mountainous al-Hasanah area of central Sinai Source: AAP

No Australians were on a Russian airliner that crashed in a mountainous area of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board.

The Australian Embassy in Cairo and the Australian Embassy in Moscow have been in contact with local authorities, DFAT says.

"We can confirm no Australians were listed as being on board," it said in a statement.

Egyptian Prime Minister Sharif Ismail and Russian Transport Minister Maksim Sokolo have expressed doubts about a claim by Islamic State that an IS affiliate in Egypt was responsible for downing the aircraft.

The Airbus A321 with 214 Russian and three Ukranian passengers and seven crew, took off from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in south Sinai bound for Saint Petersburg late on Saturday (AEDT).

It lost contact with air traffic control 23 minutes later.