UAE carriers re-route flights over Egypt's Sinai after Russian crash

United Arab Emirates airlines Emirates, Air Arabia AIRA.DU and flydubai said on Sunday they were re-routing flights to avoid flying over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, where a Russian aircraft carrying 224 passengers crashed on Saturday.

The airlines said they were closely monitoring the area and the re-routing was a security precaution, according to separate emailed statements to Reuters. Re-routing usually means longer flying distance, which adds to fuel costs.

A militant group affiliated to Islamic State in Egypt, Sinai Province, said in a statement it had brought down the plane "in response to Russian air strikes that killed hundreds of Muslims on Syrian land", but Russia's Transport Minister told Interfax news agency the claim "can't be considered accurate".