It is increasingly believed that the plane was brought down by an explosive device that detonated around 23 minutes into the journey to St Petersburg, killing all 224 people on board.
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Meanwhile, members of a Russian search and rescue team investigating the crash have left Egypt to return to Moscow.
Qatar Airways, the second largest carrier in the Middle East, has stopped flying along the Sinai border on routes to Cyprus and Lebanon since the crash.
In a visit scheduled before the crash, a team from the worldwide Civil Aviation Organization inspected Cairo’s global airport on Monday, with the checks expected to include security and baggage handling.
The investigation committee has yet to formally declare its findings, but Mr Hammond reaffirmed that the view of the British authorities was that it was “more likely than not” that the crash was the result of a terrorist bomb planted on the aircraft before it took off from Sharm el-Sheikh.
The inspection is to end on Thursday. The ICAO is a United Nations specialized agency that aims to support a safe and secure civil aviation sector.
Nearly 5,300 holidaymakers have returned home since flights recommenced on Friday, with 1,936 departing from the Red Sea resort on eight flights yesterday.
Interestingly, ISIS still hasn’t offered any details of their own on how the attack was carried out, which may well have been a shrewd decision on their part, as it has kept the story in the news all week, with several different rival theories on how the attack was carried out, and the Egyptian junta continuing to deny that it was an attack at all.
Other airliners from Britain and Western Europe are also bringing their nationals home, after several countries and airlines last week suspended new flights to Egypt because of the security concerns. Dozens of airliners have been bringing Russian tourists back home, carrying only cabin baggage, while Russian cargo planes are hauling back the rest of their luggage.
“In the current situation, the plan for the evacuation of the passengers who are still at Sharm El Sheikh will be shared later”, Turkish Airlines said on Sunday.
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Airbus Chief Operating Officer for Customers John Leahy told reporters on Monday that he is “very confident in the A321’s safety record and the safety of the design”.
