Airbus A321 Of The Russian Airline Kogalymavia Breaks Up In The Air Before Sinai Crash

by Czarelli Tuason / Nov 12, 2015 10:33 PM EST

People light candles in memory of the victims of Airbus A321 crash at the Palace Square (Photo by L. Alexander Aksakov / Getty Images)

Russia reportedly grounds all Airbus A321 flights operated by Kogalymavia airline following a plane crash in Sinai, Egypt on Saturday MORNING that allegedly resulted to 224 deaths, reported Mirror Nov. 1.

Transport regulator Rostransnadzor order Kogalymavia to suspend Airbus A321 flights until further investigation has been conducted to find out what caused the aircraft to crash less than 30 minutes after taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh en route to St. Petersburg.

There are over 900 A321 planes that are part of the A320 fleet, which is comprised of a total of 6,200 aircrafts. In 1993, A321 started flying and began operating commercially the following year. It is equipped with twin jets and is capable of carrying 240 passengers at a speed of 3,000 nautical miles.

According to The Guardian Nov. 1, Russian Intergovernmental Aviation Committee official, Viktor Sorochenko, noted that the Airbus 321 broke up in mid-air, but recognizes that it is still premature to give out conclusions on the cause.

A militant group in Egypt believed to be affiliated to the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Kogalymavia Airbus A321 plane crash "in response to Russian airstrikes that killed hundreds of Muslims on Syrian land."

However, the prime minister of Egypt, as well as the Russian transport minister, were sceptic about the militants' claim based on the belief that militants from the northern Sinai do not have the weaponry capable of hitting an aircraft at 9,000 meters.

According to the Aviation Safety Network, only one of the 16 major incidents recorded since 1996 that involves the A321 have resulted to deaths, while AeroInside noted 212 incidents mainly caused by small technical anomalies.

Airbus noted on Saturday that a "go-team of technical advisors stands-by ready to provide full technical assistance" to investigators of the crash and added that "the concerns and sympathy of the Airbus employees go to all those affected by this tragic incident of Flight 7k-9268."