Vladimir Putin orders halt to all flights to Egyptian airports as
evidence mounts that flight 9268 was brought down rather than suffering
mechanical failure
Saturday 7 November, 2015
The sound of an apparent explosion can be heard on the flight
recorder of the Russian-operated plane that came down over the Sinai
peninsula, killing all 224 people on board, adding to the evidence that a
bomb was smuggled aboard, French media sources said on Friday.
Giving further credence to the idea that the plane crash was a terrorist act rather than because of structural failure, Russia, which for a week has been resistant to speculation about a bomb, suspended flights to all Egyptian airports.
An Egyptian-led international team of aviation experts, including
some from France, successfully recovered the black box, the flight
recorder, from the crash site.
Several French media outlets, including
the television station France 2, reported that the investigators had
listened to it and concluded that a bomb had detonated, which would seem
to rule out structural failure or pilot error.
The pilots can be heard
chatting normally, including contact with airport controllers, up until
the apparent explosion.
One source close to the investigation told AFP that the black box
data “strongly favours” this theory. While another source reportedly
said: “Everything was normal during the flight, absolutely normal, and
suddenly there was nothing,” adding that the plane had suffered “a
violent, sudden,” end.
A news conference is due to be held on Saturday afternoon by the
Egyptian aviation minister, Hossam Kamal, and the head of the Egypt-led
investigation into the disaster, although the government warned it could
be delayed.
While Russia had earlier suggested that the UK was acting prematurely
in halting flights to the Red Sea resort over terrorism fears, Vladimir Putin
ordered even wider restrictions on Friday, including halting all
flights from Cairo. The head of his federal security services said it
would be expedient to suspend flights until they had discovered why the
Airbus A321 had crashed last Saturday.
Meanwhile, the US announced new security measures – including tighter
screening – for flights from some airports in the Middle East. Jeh
Johnson, the homeland security secretary, said that the move was
motivated by “an abundance of caution.”
Russia initially dismissed
claims by Islamic State
of responsibility for downing the Metrojet flight, which came weeks
after threats of retaliation for Russian planes bombing Syria, and
Moscow reacted angrily after David Cameron said it was “more likely than
not” a bomb.
Suspicions had intensified throughout the week that the Metrojet
airliner was blown up. In addition to the French media reports about the
black box, according to reports from the US, a “flash” from the plane
was picked up by US satellites.
American officials have also told
Reuters that intercepted intelligence “chatter” involving militant
groups in Sinai supported the bomb theory. An Isis-affiliated group has
claimed three times that it was responsible for bringing down the plane.
Russia will now begin to bring home its tourists, up to 79,000 of whom are currently on holiday in Egypt, according to Russian tourist authorities.
However, there were chaotic scenes at Sharm el-Sheikh airport on
Friday as the schedule of “rescue flights” apparently agreed by airlines
disintegrated. Thousands of travellers who had gone to the airport
expecting to leave were further delayed. Eight easyJet
flights were cancelled in the morning, while empty Monarch, Thomas Cook
and Thomson airliners that had flown from Britain to bring back
holidaymakers were diverted before reaching Egypt.
EasyJet claimed that Egyptian authorities were blocking their extra
flights, as passengers were sent back to their hotels pending “top-level
government talks” to resolve the situation. In extraordinary scenes at
the airport, Britain’s ambassador to Cairo, John Casson, was heckled by
passengers, who shouted: “What is the problem and when can we go home?”
Tour operators promised that stranded customers would remain in their accommodation free of charge or be reimbursed.
Egypt’s civil aviation ministry denied that it was blocking any
flights, but said only eight of the 29 planned flights from Sharm
el-Sheikh to the UK on Friday were operating because the airport did not
have the capacity to store hold luggage. Only hand luggage is being
allowed on flights back to Britain amid fears that a bomb was placed in
the hold of the Metrojet plane.
Kamal, Egypt’s aviation minister, said: “The British airline
[easyJet] wants to schedule 18 flights at the same time and wants to
transport British passengers from Sharm el-Sheikh without their luggage,
which we would have to transport later. This constitutes a huge burden
on the airport because its capacity does not allow for that.”
Britain had expected that all passengers who were due to fly home
this week before flights were cancelled over security fears – about
3,500 people – would have returned by Friday night. Patrick McLoughlin,
the transport secretary, had told the BBC: “We feel that should be
possible.” But as the day unfolded, a Downing Street spokesman said the
situation was “very fluid … complicated and difficult.”
He said a
broken-down aircraft at the airport had contributed to delays on the
ground.
The first 180 tourists to return to the UK arrived at Gatwick airport
on an easyJet flight at 4.25pm, describing chaotic scenes before
departure. They said the pilot had assured them that intelligence
officials from MI5 and the Egyptian army had guarded their plane before
takeoff to ensure its safety.
Some were in tears outside the arrivals area of Gatwick. Emma Turner,
from Kent, said her husband had been hit by other tourists, whom she
believed to be Russian, amid scuffles to get through the departure area
in Egypt. “It was absolutely horrendous. We got hit twice in arrivals at
Sharm going through security. They had one door open and we had
children with us.”
Nicky Bull, from Bath, described the airport as “dreadful”, saying:
“I appreciate all the extra security, but they just could not cope with
it … everybody was getting crushed. Everybody was shouting and
screaming.”
Another passenger, Nathan Hazelwood, said security at Sharm was
shocking. “I think it’s a joke. We need a bit of a presence out there. I
don’t think we should be flying out there at all. Security needs to be
tightened.”
A further 179 passengers were on board a second easyJet plane that
landed at 5.30pm at Luton. A number of the cancelled UK –bound flights
were expected to operate on Saturday, while the hold luggage of
returning British passengers would be transported on separate flights
over the next 10 days.
While Egypt said the decision to cancel the majority of UK-bound
flights on Friday was purely logistical, an easyJet spokesman suggested
it was a political decision after Britain took a lead in restricting
travel. Egypt has rejected claims that Isis carried out the attack and
maintains there is nothing wrong with security at Sharm el-Sheikh
airport.
The country stands to lose a large, critical source of income in the
region if the tourist industry is in effect shut down because of
terrorism fears.
Isis, which has not generally pursued major attacks outside its base
in Syria, has claimed responsibility for bringing down the plane. The
suspension of flights to and from Egypt is the first sign that Moscow is
attaching credibility to the theory, but the Kremlin continued to
insist there is no presumption of a bomb.
A spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said: “The decision of the president to
suspend flights to Egypt does not mean that a terrorist attack is the
main suspected cause of the catastrophe with [the airline] Kogalymavia.”
He said Putin was not suspending flights to Egypt until the cause of
the crash was identified, but only “until it is possible to establish
the necessary safety level for air travel.”
Russian state television channels have largely shied away from
discussing the possibility that a terrorist bomb or missile could have
caused the crash, and politicians described the UK’s decision to cancel
Egypt flights as “psychological pressure” on Russia over its airstrikes
against Syrian rebels.
On Friday, a Downing Street spokesman said Britain’s curbs on flights
to the Red Sea resort were not dependent on the possible causes of the
Metrojet disaster. “The evidence we received suggested there was a
credible threat with regard to Sharm el-Sheikh airport, which is why we
have taken the actions we have.”
In 2014, about 1.9 million Russians visited Egypt, making it the
second most popular holiday destination for Russians after Turkey.
Although the number of Russians holidaying abroad has been falling since
the Ruble lost half its value in 2014, Egypt has remained popular, as
operators have lowered prices for package tours there.
Vladimir Kaganer, the general director of the tourist agency Tez
Tour, which said it had 10,000 clients in Egypt, claimed that an
evacuation order would be needed to bring Russian holidaymakers home.
“If people are at a resort and they come to them to say a plane was sent
to take you back, they would say: ‘No, we want to be on holiday for two
more weeks, we’re not going anywhere.’”
A third Russian government plane carrying victims’ remains and their
personal belongings from Egypt returned to St Petersburg on Friday. ___________
*Reporting by:Ewen MacAskill, Gwyn Topham, Peter Beaumont in Sharm el-Sheikh
Ben Quinn, Andrew Sparrow and Alec Luhn in Moscow
**Photo courtesy of European Pressphoto Agency (EPA)
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