European airlines are avoiding the Sinai Peninsula after the Russian plane crash

Two major European airlines, Lufthansa and Air France, said Saturday they would avoid flying over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula for safety reasons in the wake of a Russian plane crash that killed all 224 passengers on board, Reuters reports.

"We took the decision to avoid the area because the situation and the reasons for the crash were not clear," said a spokeswoman for German-based Lufthansa. "We will continue to avoid the area until it is clear what caused the crash."

The pilot of the plane, which was headed from the Egyptian resort area Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, Russia, had reportedly requested an emergency landing before losing contact about 23 minutes after takeoff Saturday morning. Pilot Valery Nemov reportedly had 12,000 hours of experience in the air, The Associated Press reports.

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