EasyJet has said it will “actively review” the safety of flights to Egypt following the Russian passenger plane crash which killed 224 people.

An easyJet spokesman said the budget airline is “taking advice from all the relevant authorities” while an investigation into what caused the Airbus A321 to crash over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula in under way.

In the meantime, it will continue operating flights to and from the popular holiday resort Sharm el-Sheikh “as planned,” the spokesman said.

It comes after two major European airlines – Lufthansa and Air France – halted flights over the Sinai peninsula, an area which has seen clashes between Egyptian forces and Islamic militants for years.

The Middle East’s biggest carrier, Emirates, has also suspended flights, however British Airways said it has no plans to change its route to and from Sharm el-Sheikh.

A BA spokeswoman told Sky News: “The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority, and we would never operate a flight unless it was safe to do so.

“Our safety team continually liaises with the appropriate authorities around the world, and we conduct very detailed risk assessments into every route we operate.”

The Metrojet plane, which was travelling from Sharm el-Sheikh to the Russian city of St Petersburg, disappeared from radar some 23 minutes into the flight. It was flying at about 31,000ft when contact was lost.

According to Russian officials, 25 of those on board Flight KFL-9268 were children.

A team of Russian and Egyptian investigators are to begin examining the contents of two black box recorders recovered from the airliner “within hours” in an effort to determine the cause of the crash.

Russian and Egyptian officials have played down reports of terrorism after an IS-linked group claimed responsibility for downing the jet.

Egypt’s ambassador to the UK told Sky’s Murnaghan programme early indications suggest the crash had “nothing to do with a terrorist attack”.

“No terrorist organisation has the capacity to target a plane at 30,000ft,” he said.

There are also reports that the co-pilot had complained about the plane’s state before the flight.

Sergei Truckahev reportedly called his daughter to say “the technical condition of the aircraft left much to be desired.

Egyptian media has claimed that the pilot reported a technical failure shortly after take-off and had requested to land at a nearby airport.

However that report was contradicted by Egypt’s civil aviation minister Mohamed Hossam Kemal who said communications between the plane and air traffic control before the crash had been normal and that nothing irregular occurred before the accident.

“The plane did not request a change of route,” he said.

Meanwhile, an Egyptian ground service official who examined the plane before takeoff told news agency AP it appeared to be in good condition.

Vladimir Putin has declared Sunday as a national day of mourning, and the Kremlin has sent an emergency response team to the site of the crash.

Another plane has also flown to the region to begin the process of repatriating the victims. All but four of them were Russian nationals, and the rest were Ukrainians.

In a statement, Airbus said the plane was produced in 1997 and had accumulated some 56,000 flight hours in nearly 21,000 flights.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, has expressed sympathy to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in a telephone call.

“The British people who know and love Sharm el-Sheikh will be especially sad that what should have been a happy holiday trip has ended in such tragedy for so many families,” he added.