Russia orders Metrojet to suspend flights after crash in Egypt

AP , Sunday 1 Nov 2015

Airbus A321
In this photo taken on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015, The Russian airline Kogalymavia’s Airbus A321 with a tail number of EI-ETJ on an airstrip of Moscow’s Domodedovo international airport, outside Moscow, Russia (AP)

Russia's air safety regulator has ordered the airline whose charter jet crashed in Egypt to suspend flights pending the probe.

Rostransnadzor, Russia's transport safety watchdog, on Sunday told Metrojet to ground its fleet of Airbus A321s following Saturday's crash.

Metrojet's A321-200 crashed in the Sinai Peninsula 23 minutes after taking off from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all 224 people on board. The victims were all Russians except for four Ukrainians and one person from Belarus.

The air safety agency said Metrojet needs to thoroughly analyze the situation and weigh all risks before a decision is made Monday on whether to allow the airline to resume flights.

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