Global InformationMetrojet Flight 9268 information
 EI-ETJ, the aircraft involved, seen in June 2015 | |
| Bombing | |
|---|---|
| Date | 31 October 2015 |
| Summary | Bombing by Islamic State's Sinai branch |
| Site | Near Housna, North Sinai Governorate, Egypt 30°10′9″N 34°10′22″E / 30.16917°N 34.17278°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Airbus A321-231 |
| Operator | Kogalymavia (Metrojet) |
| IATA flight No. | 7K9268 |
| ICAO flight No. | KGL9268 |
| Call sign | KOGALYM 9268 |
| Registration | EI-ETJ |
| Flight origin | Sharm El Sheikh International Airport, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt |
| Destination | Pulkovo Airport, Saint Petersburg, Russia |
| Occupants | 224 |
| Passengers | 217 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 224 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Metrojet Flight 9268 was an international chartered passenger flight[1] operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia (branded as Metrojet). On 31 October 2015, at 06:13 local time EST (04:13 UTC),[2] the Airbus A321-231 operating the flight exploded above the northern Sinai Peninsula following its departure from Sharm El Sheikh International Airport, Egypt en route to Pulkovo Airport, Saint Petersburg, Russia.[3][4][5] All 224 passengers and crew on board died.[6][7] The cause of the crash was most likely an onboard explosive device[8][9][10] as concluded by Russian investigators.[11]
Most of the people aboard the flight were tourists. The passengers comprised 212 Russians, four Ukrainians, and one Belarusian. There were also seven crew members on board, all of whom were Russian.[6] Investigators believe that a bomb was put on the aircraft at Sharm El Sheikh, with the goal of causing airlines to suspend flights to that airport.[12]
Shortly after the crash, the Islamic State's Sinai Branch (IS-SP), previously known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, claimed responsibility for the incident, which occurred in the vicinity of the Sinai insurgency.[13][14] IS-SP claimed responsibility on Twitter, on video, and in a statement by Abu Osama al-Masri, the leader of the group's Sinai branch.[15][16] IS posted pictures of what it said was the bomb in Dabiq, its online magazine.[17]
By 4 November 2015, British and American authorities suspected that a bomb was responsible for the crash.[18] On 8 November 2015, an anonymous member of the Egyptian investigation team said the investigators were "90 percent sure" that the jet was brought down by a bomb. Lead investigator Ayman al-Muqaddam said that other possible causes of the crash included a fuel explosion, metal fatigue, and lithium batteries overheating.[12] The Russian Federal Security Service announced on 17 November 2015 that they were sure that it was a terrorist attack, caused by an improvised bomb containing the equivalent of up to 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of TNT that detonated during the flight. The Russians said they had found explosive residue as evidence. On 24 February 2016, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi acknowledged that terrorism caused the crash.[19]
In March 2020, an Egyptian appeals court ruled the crash was not an act of terrorism, and it dismissed lawsuits against government officials, Metrojet, and Ingosstrakh. The appeals court ruled that the identities of the 224 victims had not been officially established and it was impossible to issue compensation to them as a result.[20]
- ^ "Technical issues before losing contact: Putin sends rescue teams to wreckage of Russian airliner 'split in two' with 224 on board". South China Morning Post. 31 October 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
- ^ "Crash of Metrojet Flight 7K9268". Flightradar24. 31 October 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
- ^ "Crash: Metrojet A321 over Sinai on Oct 31st 2015, disappeared from radar in climb over Sinai". The Aviation Herald.
- ^ Информация по рейсу 7К-9268 Шарм-Эль-Шейх (in Russian). 31 October 2015. Archived from the original on 4 November 2015.
- ^ Крушение российского лайнера в Египте. (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 31 October 2015.
- ^ a b Список пассажиров и экипажа самолета Airbus A321 авиакомпании "КогалымАвиа" 7К9268 [The list of passengers and crew of Airbus A321 "KogalymAvia" 7K9268] (in Russian). Russian Emergencies Ministry. Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ^ Sawer, Patrick (31 October 2015). "Russian airliner crashes in Egypt's Sinai peninsula with 219 or 224 people on board". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
- ^ "'We will find them,' Putin vows as Russia confirms bomb brought down Metrojet flight". cbc.ca. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
- ^ "The insider threat to airport security is becoming a global problem". newsweek.com. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
- ^ Gardner, Frank (27 April 2017). "Egypt 'let down' by continued UK flight ban". BBC News. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
- ^ "A timeline of deadly attacks in Russia". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
- ^ a b Hassan, Ahmed Mohamed; Georgy, Michael (9 November 2015). "Investigators '90 percent sure' bomb downed Russian plane". Reuters (U.S. ed.). Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ^ "Updates: Russian airliner crashes in Egypt's Sinai peninsula". BBC News. 31 October 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
- ^ "Russian plane that crashed in Egypt 'broke up in air'". France 24 News. November 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ^ "Plane bombing mastermind unmasked as Egyptian cleric". The Sunday Times. 8 November 2015. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ^ "Abu Osama al-Masri: Portrait of the Egyptian terrorist suspected of downing Russian plane". National Post. ISSN 1486-8008. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
IBTBwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
US-UKwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Egypt's president admits Russian plane downed by 'terrorism'". Gulf Today. 24 February 2016. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ "Deadly Russian Plane Crash 'Not Terrorism,' Egypt Says". The Moscow Times. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2021.