Moscow bans EgyptAir flights to Russia following Sinai plane crash

Russia has banned all EgyptAir flights from landing on its soil following the Sinai plane crash.

Egypt's Civil Aviation Minister Mohamed Hossam Kamal said that Egypt had received a formal notice from Moscow regarding the cancelation of all EgyptAir flights to Russia to be effective as of Saturday, Egypt's state-run al-Ahram Arabic daily reported.

Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador to Egypt Sergei Kirpichenko confirmed the news, adding that cancellations were “temporary security measures,” Reuters reported.

The Russian ban on EgyptAir came a week after Moscow suspended passenger flights to Egypt following the Sinai crash.

The A321 Russian airliner, which was on its way to Saint Petersburg, crashed in the Sinai Peninsula on October 31, minutes after it took off from the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh, leaving all 224 people on board dead.

On November 4, Britain also banned flights to and from the Egyptian resort city and said on Thursday that it extended the suspension until December 19.

The restrictions, which were denounced by the Egyptian government, have dealt a severe blow to Egypt’s tourism industry.

Militants from Velayat Sinai (Sinai Province), previously known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, had earlier circulated a statement on social media claiming responsibility for the plane crash. They said the group brought down the aircraft in revenge for Russian airstrikes against Daesh positions in Syria. Velayat Sinai pledged allegiance to Daesh in November 2014.

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