Egypt’s civil aviation chief insists that the country’s airports employ international security standards, and claims there is no evidence to confirm UK government suspicions that sabotage brought down the MetroJet Airbus over Sinai.
The UK government’s high-profile disclosure, in which it expressed concern that explosives on board the A321 were responsible for its loss, has sparked a diplomatic backlash.
Egyptian civil aviation minister Hossam Kamal says the UK hypothesis is “not based on facts” and adds that the investigation team probing the 31 October crash “does not have yet any evidence or data” to support the case for sabotage.
Kamal says that the “accuracy and integrity” of the probe is crucial.
He claims that all Egyptian airports apply international standards and that these measures are audited “regularly” by the civil aviation authority, UK and US specialists, and other organisations.
Several UK carriers have suspended services to Sharm el-Sheikh, from where the ill-fated A321 departed.
The UK government’s advisory has been publically noted by the foreign ministries of other European states including Germany and the Netherlands.
Russian carriers are still serving Sharm el-Sheikh, with 23 flights scheduled today, according to Kamal.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
