Britain and several airlines have stopped normally scheduled flights to the resort, while Russian Federation has suspended all flights to Egypt because of security concerns.
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An affiliate of the Daesh terrorist Takfiris in Egypt has claimed to have been behind the crash in retaliation for Moscow’s military campaign against Daesh in Syria.
A U.S. government source said on Monday that neither Russian Federation nor Egypt has accepted an offer from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to assist them in investigating the crash.
Thousands more Britons have returned home from Sharm el-Sheikh as airlines delayed the resumption of flights from the United Kingdom to the resort amid continuing security concerns at the Egyptian airport.
Russia-bound Airbus A321 crashed in the Sinai Peninsula on October 31 shortly after taking off from the Sharm el-Sheikh airport, killing all 224 people aboard.
According to initial investigations, debris from the plane was scattered over an area more than 13 kilometers long, an indication that an in-flight breakup had occurred, USA media reports said earlier.
As British and Egyptian authorities continue to assure tourists trapped in Sharm el-Sheikh that all possible measures are being taken to ensure their safety, bomb detectors being used by a few hotel staff have been exposed as fake.
Only an analysis of the wreckage could determine if a bomb caused the crash, Hammond said. Putin also issued instructions to help Russians vacationing in Egypt return home.
If countries such as Egypt balk at suggested airport security improvements, countries such as Britain can halt flights that bring them valuable tourist dollars, Hammond said.
Situated at the foot of the Sinai Peninsula, Sharm el-Sheikh is crucial to Egypt’s tourism and economy.
Ivanov said security needed to be improved not only in the tourism hub of Sharm al-Sheikh but also in Hurghada and Cairo – “in those places where Russian planes fly”.
Egypt and Russian Federation have not yet formally announced the cause of the disaster.
Russian Federation says its suspension of flights to Egypt could last for months in the wake of the crash.
Asked to explain the remaining 10pc margin of doubt, the investigator declined to elaborate, but Muqaddam cited other possibilities, including a fuel explosion, metal fatigue in the plane or lithium batteries overheating.
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“We will deal with this matter with utmost transparency and integrity”, he said on his symbolic visit to the airport at the centre of theories that a bomb was planted on the Russian plane.
