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Russia To Decide Whether To Resume Flights To Egypt After Bombing


A Russian delegation will arrive in Egypt on September 7 to decide whether flights to the country should resume after a Russian passenger plane was blown up last October.

The delegation of experts will assess security and technical reforms taken by Egypt to improve safety, the Egyptian Civil Aviation Ministry said on September 6.

The downed Airbus A321, operated by Metrojet, was carrying Russian vacationers from the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh to St. Petersburg when it broke up over the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people onboard.

The Islamic State extremist group claimed responsibility for bringing down the plane with a bomb smuggled inside a soft-drink can.

Russia and Western governments confirmed shortly afterward that a bomb brought the plane down and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi later said the cause was terrorism.

Russia suspended flights to Egypt as a result, devastating the Arab nation's important tourist sector.

Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS

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