Egypt To Hire Foreign Company To Improve Airport Security

Egypt said it will hire a foreign company to help improve the country's airport security, seen as a weak link in the air safety chain since a Russian Metrojet airliner crashed in Sinai on October 31.

The government said in a statement that it had found no evidence so far of terrorism or other illegal action linked to the crash which killed all 224 people on board.

Russia and several Western states have said the Metrojet Airbus A321 was likely brought down by a bomb. IS said it had smuggled an explosive on board.

The plane took off from Sharm al-Sheikh, a Red Sea resort popular with Russian and British tourists. Those two countries have suspended flights to the destination and Egypt's tourism industry in general has suffered.

The government said in a statement that Egyptian officials recently met several international companies and one would be chosen.

Egypt's civil aviation ministry said it had completed a preliminary report on the crash which had so far found no evidence of a criminal act.